Hoosac Valley Softball Edges McCann Tech
ADAMS, Mass. – The Hoosac Valley softball team took a three-run lead in the top of the fifth and hung on for a 5-3 win over McCann Tech on Tuesday at Russell Field.
In one household, a sixth-inning play that helped produce a run in the Hornets’ sixth-inning comeback bid may have been a topic of dinner table conversation.
That play came when McCann Tech shortstop Emily Glasier stole second base on Hoosac Valley catcher Danielle Glasier, her twin sister.
Of course, Danielle had the last laugh – for now at least, since the teams play again on Wednesday afternoon in North Adams – because her team won.
But it is a friendly rivalry in any event.
“There’s always going to be some smack talk,” Danielle said with a smile after the game.
“I love her off the field, but, today, she wasn’t my sister. She was just another player.”
Emily had much the same reaction.
“It’s different because we’re usually on the same team,” she said. “So it’s definitely a lot different. … We’ve always pretty much played together our whole lives, and I’m a pitcher, so we play as pitcher and catcher.
“We have like a little friendly rivalry, but we love each other, and we played a good game against each other.”
And these North County teams, who share players from the same towns and travel squads, also played a good, well-paced, exciting game that came down to the Hornets’ last at-bat.
Rylynn Witek struck out 10 Hornets while allowing two earned runs to get the win in the circle.
She also factored into three of her team’s runs offensively.
In the bottom of the first, after Hannah Lord led off with a single up the middle and went to second on a pitch to the backstop, Witek’s groundout moved Lord to third. Gracelyn Wright then drove in Lord with an infield single to tie the game, 1-1.
Wright stole second and ended up scoring on a two-base error off the bat of Ella Bissallon to give the Hurricanes a lead they never relinquished.
Hoosac Valley added to that lead with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth.
No. 9 hitter Mikayla Witto started things off with a single to right. Lord’s sacrifice bunt moved her into scoring position, and Witek dropped a single into left to put two runners aboard.
Witto scored on a ground ball to the left side that also sent Witek to third, and an error allowed Witek to score to make it 4-1.
McCann Tech pitcher Nora Moser allowed just three earned runs in the loss.
Meanwhile, her offense gave her some support in the top of the sixth.
Emily Glasier led off the inning with the first hit allowed by Witek. After her steal and a ground ball out by Kyrsten Gazalle-Adams, Emily Raschdorf drove Glasier home from third with a single to right.
Raschdorf stole second and came home on Hannah Tatro’s double to right to make it 4-3.
McCann Tech got another runner aboard on a Hoosac Valley error to have first and second with one out. But The Hurricanes closed the door when Wright fielded a fly ball at short and fired to first to double off the runner and end the inning.
It was one of three double plays in the game.
Back in the second, McCann Tech catcher Raschdorf threw to second for a strike ‘em out/throw ‘em out double play to end the inning.
In the sixth, Hoosac Valley stretched its lead to 5-3 after a Bissallon single and Nora Kondel RBI double. The Hornets then ended the inning when Paige Meyette fielded a fly ball and was able to double off the runner at second.
McCann Tech got some life in the top of the seventh when Madison Clark led off with a single to center field. But her pinch runner was called out for leaving early on the very next pitch, and Witek struck out the next two batters to end the game.
Despite the outcome, the game had a lot of positives for McCann Tech (4-9), which entered the game on a three-game winning streak.
“We’re young, but every single game, we’ve improved, so I can’t ask for anything more from these kids,” Hornets coach Robin Finnegan said. “We had a couple of hiccups, a couple of mental errors, but from the Game One we played earlier this year, the first couple of games we played, we were like a deer in headlights.
“I’m really happy with the progress.”
So is Hoosac Valley coach Mike Ameen, who has seen his young team progress from an 0-3 start to a 6-4 record.
“I start sixth eighth-graders,” he said. “So it’s a very young team. And we’re playing really well. We make mistakes, and we do good things, and we learn and we grow and play hard. They’re getting better and better as we play through the year.”