Bacon Academy Softball Keeps Grinding

Bacon Academy junior Jazlyn Small-Yu catches a pop fly as senior teammate Trinity Georgens and RHAM’s Natalie Assunto look on last Thursday at Bacon Academy.   

Bacon Academy softball battled RHAM until the final out last Thursday, showcasing a fight and effort that made head coach Anna Dipierro proud.

“We’re a young team, but they never give up,” stated Dipierro. “They keep their heart in the game and do the best they can.”

Following an eight-run second innings by RHAM, the Bobcats staved off defeat in the fifth inning by scoring a pair of runs to avoid the mercy rule and extend the game for the home crowd at Bacon Academy. 

Down 11-0 and facing two outs in the bottom of the bottom of the fifth, junior Jazlyn Small-Yu tripled on a deep shot to left field, scoring Natalia Vernali. On the next at-bat, senior Trinity Georgens connected on a short fly to the gap in left field, scoring Small-Yu to extend the game. 

Small-Yu, a junior, connected on a team-high three hits—including a pair of triples.

Dipierro said Small-Yu has been outstanding from the plate and called her the “backbone” of the defense, adding the versatile shortstop is even better than she was last spring when she was an Eastern Connecticut Conference (ECC) All-Star selection as a sophomore.

Through the team’s first 14 games, Small-Yu leads the Bobcats in hits, runs, and RBIs, also accounting for three of the team’s four home runs.  

“She has been amazing,” added Dipierro. “She plays like a senior.”

The veteran coach also complimented her only two seniors, Georgens and Ava McCarvill, for accepting the captain’s role and leading the young team on field through a season in which the Bobcats have suffered multiple losing streaks. 

“They have stepped up as leaders of the team and they are always bringing the girls up when things aren’t going that well,” stated Dipierro. “They always have positive attitudes no matter if we are winning or losing, and they support each other.”

Following the 11-2 loss to RHAM and a 16-0 defeat at Woodstock Academy, the Bobcats bounced back with a 13-1 win over New London at Bacon Academy on Monday. 

McCarvill shined, connecting on four hits to drive in four runs and score three more. 

Junior pitcher Samantha D’Atri posted her best all-around outing of the season, striking out nine in six innings of work from the mound and scoring four runs from the plate. 

The hard-throwing righty has been steady for the Bobcats and Dipierro praised her reliable pitcher for being dependability from both the hill and in the batter’s box. 

The win over New London improved the Bobcats to 3-13 and snapped a five-game losing skid. 

Dipierro, who has been coaching the program for nearly three decades, noted that the goal is to eventually get the program back into the state tournament where the Bobcats last made it in 2014.  

Bacon has three straight home games left, starting with Bolton today (May 19) at 4:00 p.m. They close by hosting a double-header against Windham, scheduled for Saturday, May 20 with first pitches scheduled for 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at Bacon Academy.