Bazonski Too Much in Eagles' Win Over Hornets
SHEFFIELD, Mass. -- The McCann Tech softball team certainly came to play, but Mount Everett's Alicia Bazonski was just too much to overcome in the Eagles' 6-4 win in the first round of the Division 3 Western Massachusetts Softball Tournament on Thursday.Bazonski gave up two runs in the top of the first inning to the No. 10 Hornets, but settled in nicely after that by striking out 17 McCann batters in the game to lead No. 7 Everett to a date against No. 2 Westfield Voc. in Friday's quarterfinal-round matchup. Bazonski allowed three earned runs on seven hits and didn't allow a single walk the entire game to help limit the Hornets, who finished the 2011 season with a record of 12-9.
Despite the high number of strikeouts, Robin Finnegan's team did manage to put some runs on the board, scoring twice in the top of the first on a single by Cassie Field, who was then drove in by a monster home run by sophomore Katie Hancock. Bazonski then hit Amanda Cariddi in McCann's next at bat but settled down to strike out the next two batters to get out of the inning. Bazonski then found her rhythm, fanning six straight before allowing another single to Field in the third inning.
"We played tough against a dominating pitcher," Finnegan said. "I am very proud and pleased with the effort of my team. We came out in the first inning, and Katie smashed a two-run home run, but we allowed Mount Everett to come back to score three. [Hornets' starter] Kate Haring did not have her best stuff, and Everett took advantage of it by pounding out 13 hits."
The Eagles (14-6) responded to the two runs given up by Bazonski in the first inning by scoring three times in bottom half of the frame and twice more in the second to open up a 5-2 lead. Claire Tomich led the Everett offense, hitting a single, double and a home run, while Laura Smith, Alex and Sam Hoover each collected two hits apiece for the hosts. Hancock added a single to her first-inning home run, and Cariddi also chipped in two hits on the day for the McCann, which was forced to say goodbye to four seniors at the end of the game.
One of those seniors is Haring, who's talents in the circle will be missed be next year. She threw a complete game on Thursday, allowing six runs on 13 hits to see her final record drop to 9-8 this season.
Still, Finnegan has plenty to work with next year in terms of returning talent, and the Hornets look prime and ready for another run at a playoff berth. She does hope her team receives a little more recognition for the tough schedule it plays next year.
"We should have never been playing [Mount Everett] in the first round, as we both should have received higher seeds," Finnegan said. "We play in the Bi-County, which has a much tougher schedule than the Tri-County, so I was not pleased with the way the seedings turned out. As long as the seedings are picked according to record and not strength of schedule then we will always be at a disadvantage when it comes to advancing in the tournament. Overall, we had a good year ending 12-9, losing seven of those nine by two runs or less.
"Mount Everett is a very good team, and I hope they win it all."