SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – It was a softball game befitting a state final, Thursday, May 6, a classic in every sense. The Springfield Cosmos won 4-3 over Brattleboro when Maddie Clark hammered a triple scoring Molly Leonard.
“She crushed it,” Springfield coach Andy Bladyka said, estimating the shot carried 240 feet.
It was a game with all sorts of dramatics including this one worthy of a place in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not: Brattleboro pitcher Leah Madore notched 28 strikeouts.
The Cosmos found themselves down 1-0 after the top of the first but answered in the bottom of the inning when Haley Streeter triple and Tori Otis drove her home.
The Colonels recaptured the lead, but the Comsos tied it 2-2 on Clark’s RBI triple in the ninth.
The Colonels took another lead on Brenna Beebe’s RBI single in the top of the 12th.
Again, the Comsos responded. Streeter singled and was sacrificed to second. The Cosmos put on the delayed steal of third and when the catcher’s throw sailed into left field, Streeter scampered home with the tying run.
That set it all up for Leonard and Clark. The 4-1 Cosmos celebrated wildly.
Izzy Belisle earned the complete-game victory with 10 strikeouts.
“We played some great defense,” Bladyka said, noting his team turned three double plays.
One of those was an outstanding running catch by left fielder Kayla Quelch who then gunned down a runner at the plate.
Softball
Green Mountain 15, Leland & Gray 3 – 6 innings
CHESTER, Vt. – The Green Mountain softball team kept rolling with a 15-3 win in six innings against Leland & Gray Thursday afternoon.
Kim Cummings had a triple, a sacrifice, and three walks for Green Mountain. Hailey Pierce had three singles and a walk, driving in four, and Tierney O’Brien had three sacrifices, driving in three.
Brie Howe-Lynch was solid for the Chieftains. She ran into a little trouble in the fifth, but got out of the inning. She had a three-pitch fourth and six-pitch sixth.
Riley Paul was great defensively at third, with four putouts.
GM (4-3) hosts White River Valley on Saturday.
Bellows Falls 29, Woodstock 7
WOODSTOCK, Vt. – The Bellows Falls softball team used strong offensive days from Abby Joslyn (3-for-4 with three RBIs) and Emma Graham (2-for-3 with five RBIs) to run past Woodstock 29-7 Thursday.
Baseball
Fair Haven 10, Leland & Gray 3
TOWNSHEND, Vt. – The Fair Haven baseball team snapped a three-game skid, beating Leland & Gray 10-3 Thursday afternoon. Four runs in the third and fourth put the Slaters in control.
Evan Reed started on the hill and went four innings, striking out seven batters, allowing 1 hit. Tyler Niklasson pitched 2 1/3 and struck out six.
Sawyer Ramey had a triple and single. Carson Babbie had two RBI singles and Kyle James had two hits.
White River Valley 6, Bellows Falls 4
WESTMINSTER, Vt. – Bellows Falls took a 4-3 lead into the sixth inning but couldn’t hold it as White River Valley left Hadley Field with a 6-4 victory.
Colton Stratton was the winning pitcher in relief.
Ethan Kelly led BF with two doubles and two RBIs.
Green Mountain 9, Woodstock 2
WOODSTOCK, Vt. – Green Mountain got a complete game from Chase Swisher in beating White River Valley 9-2 on Thursday. “He pitched well. He commanded the strike zone with his fast ball,” Green Mountain coach Matt McCarthy said.
Kagan Hance led Green Mountain with three hits and an RBI, and Jack Boyle had a base hit and two RBIs.
Green Mountain will take a 3-4 record into Saturday’s game at White River Valley on Saturday.
Girls Tennis
Rutland 7, Bellows Falls 0
RUTLAND, Vt. – The Rutland girls tennis team is hotter than the red clay on Roland-Garros in the searing summer heat. The Ravens won their fifth consecutive match on Thursday by blanking Bellows Falls 7-0.
Olivia Shipley won in the No. 1 singles spot and Eva Menconi, Olivia Andrews, Anna Galipo and Emma Barclay also fashioned singles victories.
The No. 1 Rutland doubles team of EA Rushing and Arrika Patorti won and the doubles tandem of Brianna Greene and Brooke Schaffer followed suit.
Ultimate Frisbee
Burr & Burton 12, Leland & Gray 7
MANCHESTER, Vt. – The Burr and Burton Ultimate team won its first game of the year, besting Leland & Gray 12-7 on Taylor Field Thursday.
Joe Sogno, Seb Saunders, Casey Vogel, Noah Rourke, Carson Beavin, and TinTin Piromtheeravanich were standouts for BBA.