TWIGS (This week in Girls Softball) Notes 5/11!

“TWIGS”  (This week in Girls Softball) Notes as Season Up and Running!

                After a couple of games for everyone in the books, the spring 2012 season is up and running at full steam with the only thing slowing the girls down is the rain! Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday over the last week or so has had some of our 10U and 14U teams competing against both their league opponents as well as some matchups against teams from neighboring towns who help balance the schedule and give the squads “different looks” to aid in their development and enjoyment of the game.

                Attorney Chris Cawley’s Shufflers took the Leowen Diamond twice last week with the first game of the week having them take on TGI Friday's for the first time. A tight contest enjoyed well into the evening was anchored on the mound by strong performances from both sides. The Shufflers were paced by Sophie Boudette and her array of pitch selection that was followed up by Jocelyn Spitz mowing down some batters with gas and pinpoint control. They were not to be outdone by TGI Friday's as Molly Egan showed she has made the “jump” to 14U pitching with no problems getting 4 strike outs in 3 innings. Shannon Kirshy did her job of keeping the radar gun busy with some smoke that gave Cawley’s Crew all they could handle. Offensively Corinne Downey paced the Shufflers as had a double and triple along with 3 runs scored, while Spitz joined her sister Kayla in “not stopping at go” and crossing the plate more than once during her night. A base hit and a pair of runs combined with some great defense behind the plate and in the field defined Alyssa Wisniewski’s night and Roisin Glynn showed she is one of the more daring baserunners and stronger throwers in the league. All of this added to an early lead that TGI Friday's wouldn’t stop attacking as an assortment of hits from Kirshy, Vanessa Tanetta, Leah Goffredo, Sarah Perno, and Meg Coulter was complimented by heads up baserunning by Maggie Doldt and Ally Eliot. A late rally for TGI Friday's wasn’t enough to squelch the extra offense provided in a late 4 running inning by Charlene Kelly’s baserunning and Ashley Gilarde and Jocelyn Spits coming around on Downey’s gap double. Finally as the home squad, the Shufflers didn’t need their last ups as plays by Nicole Crusafulli and Maya Acosta closed the door and sealed the quality W for Chris Cawley.

                A rematch from Opening Night would pit Cawley’s Shufflers against Needham Bank this past Monday. While the final score would suggest offense, and be right in many ways, there were man y highlights from the mound as all the pitchers involved had moments that thrilled the crowd and stymied the batters. Cawley’s starting hurler Ashley Gilarde made her much enjoyed return from the pitching DL a successful one as she battled cousin Maeve Bolotte of Needham Bank to a draw the first few frames. Gilarde would even do a Tim Thomas impression as she “kick-saved” a rocket off her leg that found an opportunistic Roisin Glynn waiting at short to snag the ricochet for a bang bang out that ended an inning Sophie Boudette (Cawley) and Meg Peckham (Needham Bank) would take over the middle and later innings and post some strong results that would help make for another barn burner on the Leowen turf. Early scoring for both teams was paced by the Shufflers Nicole Crusafilli, Maya Acosta, and Alyssa Wisniewski and Charlene Kelly while Allie Dugan used her clean-up spot to crush a homer that was sandwiched by Jillian Girard, Bailey Turner, and Lindsey Swyers circling the bases and keping pace for Needham Bank. Highlights of the middle frames included “return from injury moments” like Elizabeth Wade’s BOMB in the 3rd,  a “Jacoby Ellsbury like” catch from Corinne Downey that brought both teams to their feet and Hannah Piccone playing both ways with a couple of steals and some solid defense of her own, especially in the outfield. Wade would not be the only one circling the bases as her buddy Julia Ritcey went opposite field for a poke of her own in getting some runs back for Needham Bank.  Looking to take a bigger lead in the late innings, Needham Bank’s defense led by D-Mac McMurtry and Emma Francis was able to keep it a one run game that would have the Shuffler’s Wade getting the save as she closed the door on a great game by both squads.