softball.htm

Classical, the Northeastern Conference North champion this season, loses two starters -- pitcher Jenny Garrity and second baseman Fallon Gaudet. Garrity shared pitching duties this season and still managed to ring up a 9-1 record. She also hit over .400. Garrity is heading to Emmanuel College, where she plans to play softball. Gaudet, who led the Rams with four home runs, is looking to play at Curry College.

"It's good to go out and watch former players play (in college) ... It's nice to see them do well and I think it helps the younger girls (who might be thinking of playing at the next level)," Classical coach Chris Warren said

ACTON -- Acton-Boxborough is one of the top girls softball programs in Division 1. Tuesday, Lynn Classical showed it might be ready to jump to that level.

The Rams, seeded sixth and considered by most as an underdog to the No. 3 seeded Colonials, did everything possible to pull off the upset on the road.

Classical got stellar pitching from Katie Cuozzo, played fantastic defense and had several good scoring chances. But A-B sophomore Sarah Ropiak baffled the Rams with a near-unhittable change-up in holding Classical to four hits while striking out nine as her team escaped with a 1-0 win.

"A-B is a great team and a great program, as we are," Rams coach Chris Warren said. "We had every feeling during we were going to come out on top. (Ropiak) pitched a great game for them and she kept us off balance all day."

The Colonials (19-3) had blown out Westford Academy , 15-0, in the first round Monday. But coach Mary Matthews knew that this game was going to be different almost immediately.

"(Classical) is a very good team and we didn't expect to have another blowout," Matthews said. "Sarah pitched great, but so did their girl. Both teams played outstanding."

Classical (18-6) put a pair of runners on in the top of the first but were unable to convert. The Colonials the turned to their James Madison University-bound leadoff batter, Cassidy Clayton, to get something started in the bottom of the first.

The Colonials shortstop singled to right and went to second when the ball was misplayed in the outfield. Lindsey Gibbs sacrificed Clayton to third before Erin Fry hit a little pop-up to Fallon Gaudet (aka Prom Queen) on the edge of the outfield grass at second.

Playing aggressively, Matthews sent Clayton on the play and she slid around Chelsey Bartlett's tag to give A-B the lead.

"Cassidy could be a No. 4 hitter for any other team," Matthews said. "But we put her at lead off because she set the kind of tone I want to see. That's why she's going to be a good Division 1 player at James Madison."

Classical looked to steal back the momentum in the second when Jenny Garrity led off with a double to center. Jennie Erekson then hit a shot to third but Lauren Murphy snared it and flipped to Jenay Li at second to double up pinch runner Chelsey Martin and thwart the potential big inning.

"Those are the little things that add up in games like this," Warren said. "The girl made a great play at third to double us up there."

Defense and pitching ruled the day. Neither team would be able to string together hits against Cuozzo and Ropiak as the sophomores were outstanding.

"Katie pitched phenomenal," Warren said.
"We just needed to string together a couple hits and couldn't."

A-B looked to score an insurance run in the fifth when Maddie Hatch reached on an error with one out.

Li bunted for a hit and Jess Proulx followed with a single to left but Hannah Byrne's dead-eye relay of MacKenzie Coppinger's throw got Hatch at the plate, and kept it a one run game.

The Rams were doing everything to have a shot at the win but Ropiak wasn't ready to let her team fall either.

After Erekson singled to lead off the fifth, Ropiak would retired nine of the last 10 batters she'd face in the game, including striking out the side in the seventh to seal the win.

"I think that we're pretty close with these guys now," Warren said.
"We are definitely a program on the rise."

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LYNN -- Saturday's 10-3 Lynn Classical Division 1 North first-round victory over Peabody might have looked like a rout on paper, but in reality, things got pretty dicey for the Rams before they finally busted out.
Classical actually trailed, 2-1, heading into the bottom of the fifth, and starter Mackenzie Coppinger had already been lifted in favor of Katie Cuozzo. But then, lightning struck in the form of junior Hannah Byrne, who launched an absolute rocket shot for a three-run homer that broke a 2-2 tie, and the Rams never looked back.
Classical, 18-5 and seeded sixth, will be playing Acton Boxborough on Tuesday. The Rams will play in the quarterfinals Tuesday.
"Our girls responded," said Classical coach Chris Warren. "Peabody made it interesting, and played a tough game."
The bottom of the fifth began with Jennie Erekson reaching on an error, one of two the Tanners committed in the inning. She ended up on third courtesy of two illegal pitches -- something that had Peabody coach Butch Melanaphy still angry after the game.
"She (Nicole Wilson) didn't do anything different than she was doing before," he said. "But after that, it got her thinking."
To that point, Wilson had been dealing. She'd given up a run in the second, and that came across on an error. She handled the Rams easily for the next two innings and would have been out of the fifth unscathed, too. After Erekson reached, Jerrica DeLosSantos grounded out, but Angela Erelli reached on an error, with Erekson scoring the tying run. After Danielle Moran popped to third, Fallon Gaudet kept the inning going with a single, and Byrne launched one to clear the bases and make it 5-2.
Peabody got one back in the sixth, but Classical poured it on in the bottom of the inning, sending 10 batters to the plate, and scoring five runs on RBI by Erekson, DeLosSantos, Moran and Byrne (2; and five for the game).
Warren said Coppinger didn't seem comfortable on the mound.
"It was warm and humid, and she couldn't get a good grip on the ball," he said. "But this is the postseason. Do or die. You can't take chances. But Katie came in and shut them down. That really picked us up."
The game was the third this season between the two teams. They split the first two games.
Peabody finishes up at 11-8.

Softball Team is Seeded fifth in tournament, plays Saturday at 7:00 pm against Peabody at Breed.

If the upcoming softball state tournament appears to be an extension of the Northeastern Conference regular season, it might as well be.

That's because four of the NEC's better teams will be squaring off against each other: On Friday (3:30), No. 14

Saugus (12-8) will travel to Danvers to play the third-seeded Falcons (16-4) for the third time this year, and

Saturday night (7) No. 5 Classical (17-5) will be at home against No. 11 Peabody (11-7). It'll be the nightcap in

a doubleheader that has St. Mary's playing its opening game of the tournament at 5 p.m.

Both are first-round games, Saugus and Danvers in Division 2 and Classical-Peabody in Division 1.

While Classical's Chris Warren doesn't seem to care who he plays, Peabody's Butch Melanaphy is scratching his head.

"It used to be they didn't have you play teams from your own league, but I guess that's changed," Melanaphy said.

However, there is the matter of that 12-0 drubbing Peabody suffered at the hands of Classical last month.

"I talked to the girls about that," Melanaphy said, "and obviously, they want the opportunity to play better ... to prove that the 12-0 loss was a fluke."

As far as Warren is concerned, "it's tournament time. You play who you play. You just have to win.

"Sometimes," he said, "knowing your opponent helps."

Warren likes the way his team responded down the stretch, having to win five straight games to win the Northeastern Conference/Large outright.

"They responded well," Warren said, "And they will respond well in the tournament, too."

He's certain Peabody will be looking for a little payback.

"They'll be hungry," he said. "But they had a good season, too."

Warren is not sure whether it'll be Jen Garrity or Mackenzie Coppinger on the mound Saturday.

Whichever team wins will face Acton-Boxborough in the quarterfinals, and the Rams have faced the Colonials twice in the last four years -- and have not advanced either time.

"Obviously," Warren said, "we have to get past Peabody. But you always look ahead. Who knows, maybe the third time will be a charm."

For the Lynn Classical softball team, the rewards for a fantastic regular season keep on coming. The Rams received a conference leading six all-stars as the Northeastern Conference announced its softball all-star teams on Friday.

Lynn English senior catcher Cara Crowley, who will be playing at St.Anselm College next year, was chosen as the NEC North MVP while Salem's Dan Bertone was chosen as the North Coach of the Year.

Danvers' Tara Petrocelli was honored as the NEC South Coach of the Year while Winthrop's Abby Belcher was chosen as league MVP.

Classical, which claimed an unlikely NEC North title for the second time in three seasons, had Mackenzie Coppinger, pitcher; Chelsey Bartlett, catcher; Fallon Gaudet, 2B; Hannah Byrne, SS; Danielle Moran, outfield and Jenny Garrity, outfield, selected to the team.

The Classical High softball team earned at least a share of the Northeastern Conference North title with a 6-1 win over Beverly Monday at Grace Rogato Field.

Mackenzie Coppinger kept the Panthers off balance all afternoon, scattering seven hits and striking out 10 for the win. Coppinger also came up big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Freshman Danielle Moran continued to swing a hot bat with a 2-for-4, two-RBI performance. Chelsey Bartlett had a hit and scored two runs.

The Rams, who escaped Beverly with a 3-0 win the first time the teams met, gave themselves a little breathing room early on by scoring five runs in the second inning. The win lifts the Rams' record to 15-4 overall (the most wins the team has had since 1996), 11-4 NEC.

"It's a young group with great captains," Classical coach Chris Warren said. "The leadership has gone a long way."

This is the team's second conference championship in three years. The Rams can win the title outright with a victory over English Wednesday. Peabody, which has five league losses, is also still in the hunt for a share of the crown.

At Everett, the Rams (14-4, 10-4 NEC) avoided a letdown following an emotional win over Salem on Thursday as Jenny Garrity gutted her way through six innings to get the win with Mackenzie Coppinger picking up the save.

"This was a game we could have easily lost just from the drain of the other night," Classical coach Chris Warren said. "This could have been a huge letdown game, but we were able to get the job done.

With Peabody's loss to Saugus, Classical takes sole possession of first in the NEC North standings. The Rams need to win one of their final two games - against Beverly and English - to clinch at least a share of the title. Two wins and the title would be theirs outright.

Coppinger led the Classical offense, belting a 2-run homer to open the scoring in the second and then added an RBI single during a three-run third. Chelsey Bartlett also drove home a run in the third while Fallon Gaudet and Danielle Moran each had two hits.

SALEM -- Two teams came to play Thursday night at Mack Park in Salem, and as the saying goes, it's a shame one of them had to lose.

Classical's Mackenzie Coppinger and Salem's Sarah Chasse hooked up in a fine pitcher's duel, and on this night, Coppinger -- and the Rams -- won, 3-2, over the Witches.

"That was just a great softball game," said Classical's Chris Warren. "I was proud of the way our kids played. They were hungry for it.

"And their team played well too," he said. "I think all our runs were unearned, but we played well."

The win raises Classical's record to 10-4 in the Northeastern Conference (13-4 overall) and keeps the Rams tied with Peabody for the NEC North lead. Salem drops to 9-5 in the league.

Coppinger was particularly impressive, giving up only a hit in the second and another in the seventh -- both singles. In between, she battled a Salem team that bunts more than it swings, Warren said, causing her to go without her changeup -- one of her best pitches -- for a good part of the night.

"It's easier," Warren said, "to bunt a changeup."

No matter. Salem scored both its runs in the fourth on a couple of Classical fielding miscues to take a 2-1 lead, but the Rams came back with two in the sixth to account for the final score.

Offensively, the big gun was sophomore third baseman Jennie Erekson, who had two hits, two RBI, and scored the other Classical run. She keyed a productive night by the bottom third of the order.

"We needed that," Warren said. "We've been seeking to get more production out of them there."

In the second inning, Erekson knocked home Chelsey Bartlett, who singled, was sacrificed to second by Jen Garrity, and went to third on Coppinger's base hit.

Salem struck back in the fourth. Chasse reached on an error with one out and came in on another miscue on Rachel Channen's fly ball to right. Channen scored on the third Classical error of the inning.

However, in the sixth, Coppinger reached second on an error with one out. With Jerrica DelloSanto pinch running, Erekson grounded a single right through the middle to knock her in (Erekson took second on the throw). She moved up on a passed ball, and came home on Katie Cuozzo's infield hit.

From there, Coppinger bore down. She ran into a little trouble in the sixth, allowing a Salem runner to reach second with one out. But she came back to get Stephania Garcia on a grounder to the mound and caught Sarah Mullarkey looking.

She gave up another hit -- a single to Darcie Theriault -- with one out in the seventh, but retired the next two hitters.

"We always seem to have good games," said Salem coach Dan Bertone. "This time, they got us."

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Classical Overpowers Revere - 8, Revere 0

At Breed, the Rams (12-4, 9-4 Northeastern Conference) notched their second shutout in a row with senior Jenny Garrity (2 hits) going the distance for the win. Garrity had some solid defense behind her with shortstop Hannah Byrne, second baseman Fallon Gaudet and first baseman Olivia DeJoie combining for two double plays.

Gaudet and Byrne also got the job done at the plate. Gaudet went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI and Byrne went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Catcher Chelsey Bartlett chipped in with a two-run double.

The Classical softball team achieved one of its objectives Friday with a resounding 12-0 win over Peabody in five innings that qualified the Rams for the tournament.

"We took this as a very big game," said Classical coach Chris Warren. "I thought I saw a lot of our young kids grow up over the course of five innings. They picked up their game, and played excellent, sound softball."

Fallon Gaudet was the big gun here, going 2-for-2 with five RBI, including a grand slam. She also scored two runs.

"I'm happy for her," Warren said. "She works very hard."

Gaudet was by no means the only Ram on the hit parade. Danielle Moran was 2-for-3 with four runs scored from the leadoff spot. She also made a catch in the third inning that, Warren said, could have made a hug difference in the game. The Rams responded with five runs in the top of the fourth.

Other Rams contributing included Chelsey Bartlett (3-for-3, 2 runs, 3 RBI), Jennie Erekson (2-for-3 with a run) and Hannah Byrne (2-for-4, with a run and an RBI).

Mackenzie Coppinger gave up two hits and struck out five for Classical.

The win puts Classical in a three-way tie for first in the Northeastern Conference/Large with Salem and Peabody.

The Rams are home Monday (4) against Revere.
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Classical 8, Gloucester 1

At Gloucester, the Rams (10-4) righted the ship after losing their last two games. Senior Jenny Garrity (2 hits, 6 strikeouts, 1 hit batter, 1 run) picked up the win.

"She did a good job on the mound. She had total control the whole way," Classical coach Chris Warren said.

Classical scored five runs in the sixth inning to open up what had been a close (3-0) game. Fallon Gaudet, who had been struggling at the plate, broke out the bat, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored. Danielle Moran (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and Angela Erelli (2-for-4, 2 runs scored, RBI) also helped out offensively.

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Swampscott 7, Classical 1

At Breed, Big Blue pitcher Cortney Fletcher silenced the Classical (9-4, 6-4 NEC) bats, scattering five hits, striking out eight and walking one. At the plate, Fletcher went 3-for-4 with two RBI.

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Winthrop's Haley Benson's hit a walk-off double to give the Vikings a 3-2 win over Classical Friday and in the process, end the Rams' six-game winning streak.

"Every time we play Classical it is back-and-forth," Winthrop coach Dave Guffey said. "We couldn't have asked for a better situation than what we got."

Benson went 2-for-4 on the day and also scored a run. Andrea Martucci went 2-for-2 with an RBI.

Alex Ferri went the distance allowing eight hits, while striking out five and walking three.

Jenny Garrity knocked in Hannah Byrne for the Rams' first run. The Vikings (8-4) came back to take a 2-1 lead that held up until the sixth inning when third baseman Jennie Erekson delivered a line-drive RBI triple, scoring Mackenzie Coppinger, to tie the game at two.

Coppinger went the distance for the Rams (9-3, 6-3 Northeastern Conference). She struck out nine, while allowing only one earned run on eight hits.

"We didn't do any of the little things well today, the stuff that doesn't come up on the box score," Classical coach Chris Warren said.

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LYNN -- For the Lynn Classical softball team, Wednesday's 4-1 win over Saugus provided a chance for all three facets of the Rams game to shine.

Jenny Garrity held the Sachems to four hits and struck out eight while the defense played flawlessly behind her and Chelsey Bartlett broke open a 2-1 game with a 2-run double in the fifth.

"Jenny just got stronger in the circle as the game went on and the defense played clean behind her," Classical coach Chris Warren said. "The girls aren't happy with their performance in the box (Wednesday) but they got the big hits when they needed to."

Across the diamond, the Sachems were lamenting a boatload of chances to take the lead. Two times in three innings, Saugus saw potential rallies killed by inning ending double plays and in the fourth saw another double play turn a no out bases loaded situation upside down.

"We had a bunch of chances," Saugus coach Bobbie Finocchio said. "That being said, you can't get four hits and expect to win the game against a team that hits like they do."

Classical (9-2) started quick against Sachem starter Nichole Lowe as Fallon Gaudet led off the first with a bloop single to right. After stealing second and going to third on a Hannah Byrne (3-for-3, 2 RS) single, Gaudet scored on Bartlett's ground out to short.

The Rams knocked on the door again in the second but saw a potential big inning thwarted when Mackenzie Coppinger was caught too far off third on Angela Erelli's grounder back to the mound.

Saugus put the leadoff runner on in the third before Garrity snared Allie Cooper's rocket up the middle with one down and flipped to Olivia DeJoie at first to double up Nicole Roberto to end the inning.

"Our defense has been playing really sound the last three games," Warren said.

Classical used that momentum to plate another run in the bottom of the third as Byrne and Bartlett singled in front of a Garrity sacrifice fly to center.

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The Classical softball team got off to a rocky start in Northeastern Conference play earlier this season, but after losing their first two league games, the Rams have now won five in a row, with the latest victory a 2-1 thriller over Danvers Monday at Danvers.

Sophomore pitcher Mackenzie Coppinger was all business, allowing five hits, striking out nine and walking one for the win.

"She is having a monster year," Classical coach Chris Warren said. "She gave us everything she had in the last inning. She withstood some scary moments."

Hannah Byrne took care of the offense, as she went 2-for-3, scoring one of the runs and knocking in the other. She also had a great game defensively with a combination of eight assists and putouts at shortstop. Freshman Angela Erelli also came up big with a potentially game-saving catch in right-centerfield.

Classical now has 8 wins and only 2 losses.

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Fallon Gaudet takes a rip during Friday's Classical-Marblehead softball game at Breed. (ITEM PHOTO / OWEN O'ROURKE)

The Classical High softball team came up with three runs in both the third and sixth innings and eventually pulled away from Marblehead with a 9-3 win over Marblehead , at Breed, on Friday.

For the Rams (7-2), Chelsey Bartlett led the way offensively with three hits in three at bats and drove in three runs. Hannah Byrne also had a pair of hits, including a triple, and scored three runs.

Mackenzie Coppinger had two hits, scored twice, and drove in three runs.

Jenny Garrity threw a complete game and allowed seven hits and three walks. She struck out seven.

For the Magicians, Kathryn DiGiammarino went 4-for-4 and scored all three of Marblehead 's runs.

"We played well defensively, especially in the outfield," Classical coach Chris Warren said. "Our outfielders did a good job of keeping the ball in front of them."

LYNN -- It was a day better suited for hockey than softball at Keaney Park on Wednesday as Lynn Classical and Lynn English renewed their cross-town rivalry.

A cold drizzle and gusting winds made any ball in play havoc but the Rams took advantage of six English errors and timely hitting up and down the order to take a 17-4 win that was shortened to five innings because of the mercy rule.

"We discussed at the beginning of the game that the team who made the fewest mistakes was going to win because of the wind, the cold and the rain," Classical coach Chris Warren said. "These girls are playing really good right now."

The heart of the Classical order did most of the damage against English starter Tiffany Drown on Wednesday. Hannah Byrne, Chelsey Bartlett and Jennie Erekson combined to score nine times. The Rams as a team had 12 hits.

"(Classical) came ready to play," English coach Alisa Fila said. "They got off to a good start and it's very hard to come back against a team like that."

The Rams (6-2) got the scoring started right away, taking advantage of three Bulldog errors in the opening inning to grab the lead.

Erekson drew a one-out walk and came around on a Byrne triple to dead center. Bartlett followed with a single that upped the lead to 2-0. An error on the play allowed her to take second and another throwing error brought Bartlett around for a 3-0 lead.

English fought back in the bottom of the first against Rams starter Jenny Garrity.

Val Fiaccaprile reached on an error to begin the inning. Jessica Dellazoppa followed with a walk and Sam Earp reached on an infield single to load the bases for the ever-dangerous Cara Crowley.

Garrity got the St. Anselm-bound catcher to fly out to Mackenzie Coppinger in center with Fiaccaprile coming in from third. After a walk and a fielder's choice, Drown laced a single that scored Earp to make it 3-2 after one.

The Rams responded immediately in the second, pushing four more runs across. Angela Erelli and Fallon Gaudet singled and moved up a base on a wild pitch.

Erekson's groundout to short scored Erelli before Byrne drove home Gaudet for a 5-2 lead. Bartlett singled and Garrity struck out in front of Coppinger, who drove home two more runs with a single.

Coppinger also came on in relief of Garrity in the second as the wackiness continued.

English fought back with a pair of runs as Fiaccaprile singled and later scored on the back end of a double steal with Dellazoppa, who scored on an Earp groundout.

Those would be the last runs of the day for the Bulldogs, though, as Coppinger put the clamps on them the rest of the way.

"Copp came in and did a great job for us," Warren said.

Classical assumed control for good in the third as Byrne smoked a 3-run homer with two outs to increase the lead to 10-4. Danielle Moran drove in a run in the fourth before the Rams added six runs in the fifth to put things away.

"We have to put this behind us and get ready for Danvers (today)," Fila said.

Beverly pitcher Sarah Pezzulo was also stingy with the hits.

"The two pitchers were both pitching really well," Warren said. "It was a clean game on both sides. She (Pezzulo) only gave up five hits. We were lucky enough to get three triples in a row."

Classical 16, Somerville 1

At Somerville, freshman Olivia DeJoie made her debut at first base for the Rams a memorable one by going 3-for-3 with seven RBI and two runs scored.

The Classical softball team opened up the season in impressive fashion, defeating Somerville 17-5 at Breed Thursday.

The story of the game was the bottom of Classical's order. The 5-7 hitters combined to go a perfect 10-10 with seven RBI. Classical coach Chris Warren was more than satisfied with his team's performance.

"It was a great way to start the year. This is a team that has a lot of potential and hopefully this is a start of many good things to come," Warren said.

Jenny Garrity had a very busy and productive day. Garrity was 4-4 with two RBI, and also pitched five innings in a winning effort, giving up five runs on two hits and three walks. Chelsey Bartlett was 4-4 with a two-run homer (over the fence), three RBI, and four runs scored. Jennie Erekson was 2-2 with two RBI and two runs scored; Hannah Byrne was 2-3 with four RBI and a run scored. Classical is now 1-0.