Hornets Put Up a Good Fight in Loss to Panthers
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The McCann Tech softball team played soundly and cleanly on Tuesday, but the Hornets couldn't compete with the arm of Nicole Hardzel, who struck out 12 batters and allowed just two hits in a 4-1 win for Palmer.Despite the loss, McCann head coach Robin Finnegan was very pleased with her team's effort after a disappointing loss to Ware on Monday in which the Hornets (5-3) committed eight errors in the field. McCann (5-3) cut that number down to two on Tuesday and even took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. The Panthers took the lead back with two runs in the top of the third inning, but didn't shake the Hornets loose until they scored two more runs in the top of the seventh.
"Palmer scored two runs in seventh inning on a questionable call by the official," Finnegan said. "It was a well-played game defensively, however, and I was very pleased with the way the girls played. We showed we can compete with a Division 2 powerhouse like Palmer when we show up and play all seven inning and play together. [Hardzel] was a dominating pitcher who stifled our bats all game. She was probably one of the best pitchers I've seen in a long time."
Juniors Cassie Field and Erika Ziemba were the only two McCann batters to get hits off of Hardzel. Ziemba came through with her team's lone RBI, a double down the right-field line that brought home classmate Brittany Briggs in the bottom of the second inning. Ziemba was also the tough-luck loser on the day, giving up three earned runs on eight hits with one strikeout and no walks over seven innings of work.
The Hornets next host Holyoke Catholic at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.