The Woodstock Academy Centaurs softball team still hopes to qualify for the postseason.
But the opportunity was slipping away at the end of the week.
“We didn’t play very well,” said Woodstock Academy coach Jay Gerum. “It’s actually on us. We made a lot of errors, a lot of missed plays. There was just a lack of focus (last) week. At the end of the season, you hope to build up and peak, but we’ve been playing great softball all year, and we actually lost a little focus.”
In games against Fitch and Hale Ray, who both feature average to below-average high school pitching, the Centaurs could only produce one run in each game.
Woodstock Academy also committed more errors and missed more plays in those two games than it probably had all season, according to Gerum.
Not to make excuses, but there could be a common factor to both the lack of offense and the shoddy defense.
The weather.
“I think it affects it a lot,” Gerum said. “You want to get reps in, you want to stay sharp and to do that, you have to get out on the field every day together.”
The weather hardly was conducive to that with rain and unseasonably cold temperatures that did not allow fields to dry.
Woodstock Academy was dealt a double whammy because the softball team also was not allowed to practice inside due to a faulty fire alarm system on the North campus.
The Centaurs finally were able to use their pitching machine May 16 and practiced both hitting and defense.
“We had a good practice and hadn’t had one in weeks. I think it has a big effect when everyone else is practicing and you’re not, at least, in a gym,” Gerum said.
The Centaurs, however, were dealt another loss May 17 by Montville, 13-2.
The loss to the Indians means the Centaurs (7-12) have one more chance to qualify for the Class L state tournament.
They played host to Haddam-Killingworth (10-6) May 20. The game ended too late for this edition.
Amanda Bond drove in both runs for the Centaurs against Montville.
Megan Preston tripled in the fifth inning and scored when Bond doubled.
Hannah Chubbuck singled and later scored on a fielder’s choice ground out by Bond in the sixth inning.
Woodstock Academy traveled to Moodus May 15 and found Hale Ray to be a tough customer.
The Little Noises bats belied their nickname and Hale Ray rolled to a 10-1 win.
The Centaurs trailed 2-0 early but cut their hosts lead in half in the third inning when Julianna Nuttall reached on an error and Heather Converse walked. Mackenzie Leveille knocked in Nuttall.
It was to be the only bright spot for Woodstock Academy.
Hale Ray got the run back in the bottom of the inning and scored six more in the fourth to salt away the victory.
“That’s when everyone started to put the young kids in and the score actually got a little crazier. When everything was at full tilt with the starters in, it was really that one inning. We committed three errors and three other ‘mental’ errors, six errors in one inning gave them all those runs. That’s a game changer,” Gerum said.
Hannah Burgess was the only player with more than one hit for the Centaurs. The shortstop finished 2-for-3 at the plate and continued her strong offensive performance this season. She comes into the final game of the regular season with a .590 average (36-for-61). The Centaurs took the early lead against Fitch  May 14. Holding on to it was difficult. The Falcons scored three runs in the third and two in the fourth and posted a 5-1 win over Woodstock Academy in Groton. Converse walked in the second inning and later scored on a Preston single to account for the only run for the Centaurs. Converse, who is the third-leading hitter for Woodstock Academy at .400, had the only other hit in the game.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director, The Woodstock Academy

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