'Young, Talented' Hoosac Tops Mount Greylock
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- The Hoosac Valley softball team showed it could score in a couple of different ways in Friday’s 7-4 win at Mount Greylock.
The Hurricanes hurt their hosts with the long ball and with small ball en route to their second win in two outings this season.
Riley Bishop provided the pop, smacking a two-run home run to start the game in the top of the first.
But Hoosac Valley really got cooking when it started putting the ball in play and using small ball to tack on runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh, leading by a 7-2 score before the Mounties rallied late.
“We started out a little slow, other than the home run, of course,” Hoosac coach Mike Ameen said. “Other than the home run, [Mount Greylock freshman Lily Lesieur] was pitching well. I think we had seven strikeouts in the first three innings.
“But then we started to put the ball in play, and once you put it in play, good things can happen.”
Syrah Bradley got Hoosac’s offense going on the right foot with a ground rule double to left with one out in the first. Two batters later, Bishop launched a shot over the fence in left-center to make it 2-0.
But Lesieur settled down, getting the third out on a swinging strike before sitting down nine of the next 10 batters she faced.
Meanwhile, the Mounties (1-1) tied the game in the bottom of the fourth.
Taylor Cornell got things started with a one-out walk then went to second on Alyssa Phelps’ sac bunt.
Marley Buffis doubled home Cornell and ended up scoring on a single to right off the bat of Kat Hoffstedt.
The game did not stay tied for long.
In the top of the fifth, hits by Gabby Vincent and Rylynn Witek, a Liz Levesque sacrifice bunt and a Mount Greylock error conspired to give the Hurricanes a pair of runs.
Hoosac Valley tacked on two more in the sixth. Bishop doubled to left to start the rally, which also featured an RBI double from Vincent.
Witek tripled and Bradley drove her home in the seventh to give Hoosac Valley a five-run margin.
All those insurance runs came in handy when Mount Greylock rallied for a pair in the seventh. Hoffstedt drew a leadoff walk, and Elena Cerveira’s double down the line in left made it second and third with one out.
Hoffstedt came home on a ground ball by Kayla Cerveira. Elena Cerveira came home on a wild pitch. But the Mounties could not take advantage of a two-out error when Madi Puppolo got the final out swinging.
Puppulo finished with four Ks while scattering four hits.
Lesieur struck out 10 while allowing six earned runs.
The two freshmen pitchers could be seeing a lot of one another over the next few years.
“I told the kids, we were looking at a mirror image of each other,” Ameen said. “They’re like identical teams: young and talented and quick and enthusiastic.
“I said, ‘Guys, do you want to see what you look like? Watch Mount Greylock. That’s what you look like.’ “
Hoosac Valley (2-0) is scheduled to host Drury on Saturday afternoon.
Mount Greylock hosts Pittsfield on Tuesday.