GHS Softball Learning of the Fly

Glastonbury softball started the season with six straights wins before hitting a bump in the road and dropping back-to-back games, including a loss in Rocky Hill last Monday.

The Guardians, who were without starting pitcher Brooke Tracy, fell to the Terriers 5-3 at Elm Ridge Park.

Freshman Gabby Lambert pitched well in relief, striking out six, but ultimately errors cost the team multiple runs for a second straight contest.     

“The last two games we’ve been compounding errors,” said GHS head coach Karen Costes, whose team also allowed three unearned runs in a 4-0 loss to Hall in the previous game, “Unfortunately we gave a game away. It’s coming down to execution and right now we are not executing defensively or at the bat.”

The Guardians jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the first two innings thanks to runs by Lambert, Rayah Snyder, and Genelisse Costa. Nabia Crawford drove in two with one swing of the bat in the first inning.

Despite the lead, the team was disappointed after failing to capitalize on a bases loaded opportunity in the second inning. All told, the Guardians stranded five runners on base Monday night.

“The momentum in the beginning was fantastic, but we didn’t push through all seven innings,” added Costes, “We had nine strike outs today. We couldn’t put the ball in play, but I know we can, and that’s the frustrating part.”

The home Terriers scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a lead they would not relinquish.

Costes, who is starting several freshmen and sophomores, remains optimistic, “We are very young and that is something that I need to remember. [Next year] we will be returning every single kid that we have on the field right now and our sophomores are freshmen in a sense. Our lack of experience is showing right now, but they need to have a few of these to help us get through tough situations and build that confidence.”

Rocky Hill starter Nicole DesRoches struck out eight in six innings of work and Shauna Kehoe pitched a hitless seventh to pick up the save.
Kehoe also did damage from the plate, scoring two runs and driving in another.

“It’s an Important win for us,” said Rocky Hill head coach Tyler Catlin, “To beat Glastonbury, a LL school that is a very good and a very well coached team, is nice.”

Following the loss to Rocky Hill, Glastonbury closed the week with a 9-6 victory over Simsbury on Thursday before falling to Berlin 12-0 on Friday.

Tracy, who was lights out from the mound over the first six games, was forced to miss all three games last week but will be returning for the stretch run.

Lambert earned the victory over Simsbury after fanning 15, also driving in two runs from the plate.

Sadie Scurto also had a pair of RBIs, while Natalie Lessard had three hits and scored two runs. Snyder also crossed the plate twice.

Despite the tough stretch, the young team is showing promise and is still in contention with a record of 7-3.  

Costes and her team are hoping they finish the season like they started it.

​“I had a lot of [the players] on a summer team and that kind of gave a head start on a team where I’d only have two retuning varsity players. So that helped a lot and I got to know them,” Costes said of the team’s chemistry, “The seriousness of this being a varsity team rather than a travel team is setting in and we are still trying to find all the ins and out of playing all seven innings and how to battle and how to get through a season playing every other day. We are right there, we just need more experience in order to draw out that good feeling that when we’re down, we can go back in the memory bank and use those experiences.”