Bazonski Leads Mount Everett Softball Past Mount Greylock

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- With four games left in its regular season, the Mount Greylock softball team needs three wins to reach the Western Mass tournament.

 

If the Mounties keeps playing like they did on Thursday, it might must happen.

 

As so often is the case, Alicia Bazonski was the difference for the Mount Everett Eagles in a 2-1 win over Mount Greylock.

Bazonski did the job in the circle -- striking out nine while allowing just two hits -- and at the plate, smacking a solo home run.

 

But Mount Everett needed all the UNC-Greensboro-bound athlete could muster against a determined Mount Greylock team that dropped to 7-9 going into Saturday's home game against Turners Falls.

 

"There were a lot of great things defensively from us today," Mount Greylock coach June Blake said. "Obviously, we want them to translate into W's at this point, but we're playing our best softball.

 

"That's got to be a positive thing for us."

 

Mount Greylock came into the game on a three-game winning streak.

 

Mount Everett continued its season-long 13-game winning streak and takes an unbeaten record into the final game of the regular season.

 

Eagles coach Kurt DeGrenier noted that despite its gaudy record, the defending Western Mass Division III champion is used to being pushed. So is the Eagles' ace.

 

"For two years, we've been in some tight games," he said. "She buckles down when we're in tough situations. And the defense steps up behind her.

 

"She's always tough on the opponent, and you can always count us in the game when she's on the mound."

 

The Mounties scratched out the first run of the game on Thursday to put the pressure on the visitors.

 

Miranda Voller led off the game with a basehit and ended up staniding on third base after a throwing error.

 

Olivia DiNicola followed with a ground ball to second base to bring Voller home and give Mount Greylock a 1-0 lead.

 

The Mounties put three more runners in scoring position the rest of the way, but each time Bazonski was able to get the outs she needed.

 

"I felt like we had opportunities," Blake said. "We had baserunners on almost every inning."

 

With one out in the top of the second, Bazonski erased the Mounties' lead with a shot over the fence in left-center field.

 

Hannah Joyce then dropped a single into right field, stole second and third and came home when Brooke Morehouse singled down the line in left.

 

And that was all the scoring that either Bazonski or Mount Greylock's Kendall Frye allowed.

 

Frye struck out three, scattered three hits and stranded six runners in the loss.

 

"We've got to do a better job of moving runners over," DeGrenier said. "I didn't really play small ball today. I wanted our girls to get some confidence up at bat before going into the tournament.

 

"Maybe if I switch it up and play small ball, it would have been different. But we've got to get some quality at-bats in."

 

It did not help Mount Everett's offense that Mount Greylock played some quality defense behind Frye.

 

Though it did commit three errors, Mount Greylock also turned in some gems.

 

In the fourth, shortstop Meredith Dezieck threw out a runner at the plate with DiNicola applying the tag.

 

In the fifth, Dezieck relayed a Hailey Guest throw from center field to stop a runner trying to stretch a double into a triple. Later that evening, third baseman Voller fielded a grounder off Frye's glove and threw to first in time to make the out.

 

And in the seventh, DiNicola threw out a runner attempting to steal third.