Winthrop scores the game’s lone run in the first inning to edge Jay in a game between the MVC’s top two pitchers.
WINTHROP – Many playoff games pleasantly surprise the spectator. Once in a while, however, you’ll discover one that unfolds precisely as advertised.
Tuesday’s Western Class C softball preliminary between No. 7 Winthrop and No. 10 Jay fell into the how-it-was-drawn-up-on-the-chalkboard category.
That didn’t make it any less entertaining, with the Ramblers’ Katie Wing and Tigers’ Bre Loon firing strikes and coaxing unproductive swings at a head-spinning rate. Only the parlay of a throwing error, wild pitch and sacrifice fly enabled Winthrop to reverse a regular-season Mountain Valley Conference verdict with a 1-0 triumph.
MVC all-star hurlers Wing and Loon lived up to every ounce of that distinction on a breezy afternoon. Each allowed one hit.
With classmate Mel Burnham on the receiving end, Winthrop senior Wing struck out four without issuing a walk. Loon, a sophomore, flung five strikeouts, and her lone walk was intentional.
“The pitching was excellent for both teams, which is just what we expected,” said Winthrop coach Charlie Lincoln, whose team advances to a road quarterfinal game against No. 2 Sacopee Valley of South Hiram on Thursday. “When you get to this level, it’s about who can bunt, who can steal a base and who can hit a sacrifice fly when you need one.”
In Winthrop’s case, leadoff hitter and shortstop Martha Salois, the only other senior on the Ramblers’ roster besides Wing and Burnham, and Nikki Emery were the chief troublemakers in the first inning.
Salois hustled down the line to force an errant throw from third base, winding up at second. She scooted to third on a rare toss out of the strike zone and to the backstop by Loon.
Emery’s deep fly ball to Emily Bennett in center field pushed across the all-important run for Winthrop (10-5), which previously dropped a 2-0 decision to Jay.
“I think we matched up with them pretty well in almost every area,” said Jay coach Steve Hamblin, “but the one place they had an advantage was speed. Right off quick they used that speed to get ’em a run.”
By that time, the Tigers (8-9) already had their lone hit: a sharp, two-out single to right by Rachel Gagnon in the top of the first. Wing lured Jana Fetterhoff into a pop-up to first to deny that scoring bid.
That launched a streak of 15 straight batters retired by Wing. Lindsey McDonald reached on an error with two out in the sixth before Burnham threw her out attempting to steal.
In the seventh, Gagnon reached base on a dropped pop-up with one out. Fetterhoff followed with a hard-hit roller to center, but Hannah Salois’ prompt throw to Martha Salois nabbed Gagnon and limited Jay to a fielder’s choice. Ella Coffren’s grounder led to another force out at second to end it.
Emery singled up the middle in the sixth for Winthrop’s only hit.
The rematch was complete in an astonishing 55 minutes. Neither Wing nor Loon threw more than six balls or 18 total pitches in a single frame.
“We’ve been having Katie throw her change-up a lot more,” Lincoln said. “We’ve worked all season on getting her to throw it at any time in the count. She’s got good location, and Mel has been her catcher for four years. They work well together.”
Jay should develop that kind of continuity in the immediate future. Five sophomores, three juniors, two freshmen and only one senior suited up for the prelim.
“That’s the fifth game this year we’ve lost by one run, and we lost two others by two runs,” Hamblin said. “We’ve been in every game. We just can’t seem to put the hammer down. Maybe with a little more experience we’ll start doing that.”
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