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2 wins shy
of tourney
Running the gauntlet.
It’s what the Woodstock Academy softball team did last week.
Waterford April 29, Stonington April 30 and Norwich Free Academy May 2.
Fortunately for the Centaurs, there was a game against Lyman Memorial May 4.
It helped the Centaurs’ spirits a bit as they handed the Bulldogs an 8-5 loss.
“I think it’s good to get back on track,” said Woodstock Academy coach Jason Gerum. “We had one of those weeks where you just happen to play some of the top teams all in a row.”
The Centaurs were certainly in the game against the Bears, losing in Stonington 8-7 on a walk-off home run.
The other two games – not so much.
The Lancers handed the Centaurs a 16-6 loss April 29 and the Wildcats showed no mercy in a 28-2 win May 2.
Those losses dropped Woodstock Academy to 6-7 and 0-4 in Division I of the ECC.
The Centaurs wasted no time against Lyman. Heather Converse scored Julianna Nuttall with a sacrifice fly to give the Centaurs a 1-0 first inning lead.
Woodstock Academy made it 5-0 in the second inning when Megan Preston singled, Cami Corrado walked and Hannah Burgess, who came into the game hitting .658, knocked in a run with her fifth double of the season.
Nuttall followed with a two-run single and Converse drove in her team-best 17th run of the season with a single to make it 5-0.
The Centaurs went up by a half-dozen when Maria Scandalito singled, stole second, went to third on a wild pitched and scored on a double steal.
Woodstock Academy finished off its scoring when Converse (2-for-2) singled and scored on a Mackenzie Leveille homer in the fifth.
The Centaurs did have to weather a bit of a storm in the bottom of the fifth inning when Lyman put up a five-spot.
The bumps and bruises had mounted earlier in the week.
The Centaurs only other pitcher, Preston, pulled herself out of the game against Waterford because of arm soreness.
Woodstock Academy, at the time, was only trailing the Lancers, 10-6, going into the top of the seventh.
Waterford scored six runs off Converse who was pressed into service in the circle.
Converse had a good day at the plate for the Centaurs, knocking in three runs against Waterford with her second triple of the season.
Nuttall, who now has 11 RBIs, drove in a pair and Burgess went 2-for-2 at the plate.
The game with Stonington was a pitcher’s duel through the first 5 ½ innings.
Two RBI singles by Nuttall and a Converse sacrifice fly had the Woodstock Academy up, 3-2, going into the bottom of the sixth.
That’s when all heck broke loose. The Bears put three runs up on the board in their half of the sixth. The Centaurs responded with four in the top of the seventh on an RBI double by Maia Corrado, a run-scoring triple by Scandalito and an Amanda Bond sacrifice fly.
The 7-5 lead did not hold up as Stonington drew a walk which was followed by a single and Maddy Stepski had the game-winning, inside-the-park, three-run homer.
The Centaurs just ran out of pitching against NFA and the Wildcats, one of the best offensive teams in the state, took advantage.
In total, it leaves the Centaurs two wins shy of the state tournament.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
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