Booth, Blue Devils Keep Hope Alive
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- Katie Booth struck out seven and allowed just one hit Thursday to lead the Drury softball team to a 12-0, five-inning win over Lenox on Francis Millard Field.
“She’s definitely a big leader out there, just like she was yesterday,” Drury coach Morgan Shafer said, referring to the Blue Devils’ Wednesday win over McCann Tech. “The way she’s pitching lately is just unbelievable.
“We’ve been working on a couple of things. Coach [Michelle] Darling has really been working with her to develop a new drop. And, along with that, just to get that change up to change her speeds and moving the ball around a little better.
“We’ve been working with [catcher Anna Dix] on calling pitches and trying to get the combination of them working.”
Booth pitched her way out of a little bit of trouble in the top of the first after hitting the leadoff batter. An error gave the Millionaires two on with one out, but Booth picked up a strikeout swinging and a popup to first baseman Jayden Tower to end the threat.
Drury then scored four in the bottom of the frame.
Dix and Caitlin Tatro each had an RBI single in the rally.
Dix went on to go 3-for-3, and Tatro was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Booth also helped her cause with a pair of hits and a pair of RBIs in an 11-hit Drury attack.
And she got some help in the field from Jacqueline Moulton, who made a couple of sterling catches in left to rob Lenox’s Hailey Ano and Maddy Hynes of potential extra-base hits.
“Jackie Moulton is always just the outfielder that I rely on to make those amazing plays,” Shafer said. “She’s always sprinting so hard. … She’s really out there trying to make the all-Berkshire team this year, especially with the way she’s been hitting lately. She had that home run yesterday and a double today.”
Moulton doubled in a four-run third inning that gave Drury an 8-0 lead. In the fourth, Booth drove in a pair of runs to help the Blue Devils reach the 12-run margin and bring the mercy rule into play.
In the top of fifth, Booth retired the side in order, getting a pair of plays from third baseman Tatro and a grounder to second baseman Caroline Cellana to end it.
With back-to-back wins and a 4-8 record, Drury is hoping to play well enough down the stretch to make sure its season doesn’t end short of the playoffs.
“We are just taking every game as it comes,” Shafer said. “Because we know we still have a small chance out there. We battled Pittsfield, you know, for a little while, until we lost it. So the score might have said we lost big, but to me that game was not a loss. And we haven’t played Taconic yet.
“We’re really aiming to make the tournament, even though our record right now is tough. But it’s doable.”
The Blue Devils need to go 6-2 down the stretch starting with Friday’s game at Hoosac Valley.
Lenox (1-10) goes to Mount Everett on Tuesday.