Drury Seniors Rally Past McCann Tech on Senior Day

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- Three Drury seniors factored into the game-winning run Wednesday as the Blue Devils topped McCann Tech, 4-3, on Senior Day on Francis Millard Field.

 

First, senior Anna Dix drew a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the eighth.

 

Then senior Caitlin Tatro singled up the middle to move Jayden Tower, who ran for Dix, into scoring position.

 

After a couple of outs, Jacqueline Moulton reached on an error to load the bases for senior Hali Cartmill.

 

Cartmill’s groundball to the right side was mishandled, allowing Tower to race home and end the game.

 

“Senior Day -- with Hali Cartmill never giving up and running out that ball down the first base line,” Drury coach Morgan Shafer said. “Abby [Lear] taking the mound for us leading off and getting a great hit in the middle of the game. Caitlin [Tatro] over there at third snagging balls for us and getting those bunts. Anna leading off the inning there with the walk.

 

“They were really leading us today.”

 

With the playoffs no longer a possibility for the 5-11 Blue Devils, a completed season sweep of the rival Hornets was a pretty good consolation prize.

 

“It means a lot,” Shafer said. “It means a lot to us in North Adams, knowing last year that we lost both games to them to come back this year and beat them twice. And they’re such a high-caliber team.”

 

McCann Tech (11-3) is going to the postseason in a couple of weeks but will want to play better defense than it did on Wednesday, when six errors led to four unearned runs.

 

The miscues started in the first inning and allowed Drury to score Caroline Cellana and Mackenzie Dobbert, who each singled her way on base.

 

The 2-0 Drury lead held until the fourth, when a Blue Devils error allowed Aubrey Tetlow to score from third and make it 2-1.

 

In the fifth, McCann Tech pulled ahead with two earned runs.

 

Kalley Vanuni got it started with a one-out single. Sarah Fortini drew a walk, and Tetlow bunted her way aboard to load the bases.

 

Ayrian Quinones hit a sacrifice fly to right to tie it, and Hailey Miller dropped a single over second base to give McCann Tech a 3-2 lead.

 

It did not last long.

 

In the sixth, Tatro reached on an error with one out, stole second and went to third on another error. She then beat the throw home on a ground ball off the bat of Katie Booth to make it 3-3.

 

Booth, who toed the rubber in the fourth in relief of senior Lear, retired McCann Tech in order in the top of the seventh, and McCann Tech’s Meg Goyette (six strikeouts, no earned runs) left a runner on second in the bottom of the seventh to get to extra innings.

 

In the top of the eighth, McCann’s Miller led off with a single, and Chasity Lillie bunted her into scoring position.

 

But Booth got a groundout to Tatro at third and another to Cellana at short to end the threat and set the stage for Drury’s eighth-inning rally.

 

Drury goes to Mount Greylock on Thursday while McCann Tech is at Pope Francis.