Keegan, Howland Pitch Team to All-Star Game Win
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Ashley Keegan and Maya Howland combined for a dominating performance in the circle on Thursday evening at the Doyle Softball Complex.
But it was all in good fun.
“It was just nice be on the mound one last time and have the defense behind me that we did,” Drury senior Howland said after pitching the back end of a 9-0 win for the North in the Berkshire County High School Softball All-Star Game.
“It’s nice having that laid-back atmosphere, not having it be so competitive and just being friends with all of them from different teams. As soon as you step in the dugout, you’re friends, and on the field you’re family no matter what team you’re on.”
Keegan and Howland combined on a no-hitter in which the South managed just two baserunners: Mount Everett’s Alli Brassard, who drew a two-out walk in the third, and the Eagles’ Kersten Cutlip, who reached on a two-out error in the fourth.
Keegan struck out nine in four innings of work, including striking out the side in the second inning.
Afterward, she said she was a little surprised how much success she and Howland had in the circle, and she agreed that the night was more about having fun than keeping score.
“This is my favorite game of the year, hands down,” Keegan said. “Everyone just comes together, and we all feel the same way.
“It’s somewhat laid-back, but everyone wants to win. Playing with the best of the best, you definitely have to step up a little bit. But in the end, it’s just a lot of fun.”
Keegan had fun in the circle and at the plate, where she notched a single, a double and two RBIs.
The North started its onslaught with a four-run first inning that started with a leadoff infield single from Pittsfield High’s Brittney Perkett and featured hits from her teammates Hayley Tobin and Erin Murphy. Keegan’s Taconic teammate Aubrey Lazits capped the rally with a two-run single.
In the third, the first five North players to bat came around to score. After Kailey Bell and Tobin reached to start the inning, Keegan doubled to make it 6-0. A Murphy single and an error plated Keegan and put two on for Mount Greylock’s Rachel Voller, who delivered a triple to finish the scoring.
The South used four pitchers in the loss: Mount Everett’s Chandler DeGrenier and Brassard, Wahconah’s Allie Borowsky and Lenox’s Anna Lynch.
Before the game, the Berkshire County umpires presented the 2017 sportsmanship awards for Borowsky for the Northern Division and DeGrenier for the Southern Division.