The West Haven softball team did not have much time to ponder a season-opening loss to sacred Heart Academy. Just 48 hours later, the Westies were back on the field with a road contest against Oxford.
Behind an 18-hit attack, and taking advantage of four Oxford errors, West Haven rolled to a 15-1 victory Monday afternoon in Oxford.
“We came out swinging,” West Haven coach Joe Morrell said. “That is something we have been working on all preseason. We want to get the bats going early and we did. Ivy (Santos) pitched another great game. We gave her some early run support and we only committed one error in the game.”
The Westies (1-1) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back, adding two more runs in each of the third and fourth innings, before blowing the game open with six more in the sixth.
Kailey Carrano led the offense with four hits and three runs scored, while Ivy Santos had three hits, three runs batted in, and four runs scored. Ashlynn O’Keefe also had four hits in the win.
Santos was equally impressive in the pitching circle as she tossed a complete game, allowing eight hits and one run, while striking out seven and walking two.
Veronica Lynn started the first inning rally with a one-out single to center, Makenna White hit a two-out single to left, and Santos delivered both with a single to right.
West Haven increased its lead to 4-0 with two more runs in the third inning. With one out, Carrano singled to left, Santos hit a two-out single to left, and Morgan Peryer’s single, coupled with an Oxford error, scored Carrano and Santos.
After Oxford stranded two in the third, West Haven increased its lead to 6-0 in the fourth. O’Keefe opened with a single and she would score later in the inning with Kasey Marron.
Cassandra Thibodeau singled to score Santos in the fifth, before West Haven increased the margin to 13-0 with six runs in the sixth.
With one out, Kailey Carrano doubled to left, White singled, and Santos reached on an error to score Carrano. Peryer walked to load the bases, Dianesse Rodriguez reached on an error to score White and Santos, before Thibodeau doubled to score Peryer and Rodriguez for a 12-0 lead. Thibodeau scored later in the inning on a ground out by Kasey Marron.
Thibodeau and Peryer also finished with three runs batted in apiece, and White scored twice.
After weather played havoc early in the season, the wait was finally over, but the West Haven softball team hoped for better results to open the season. With inclement weather delaying the start of the campaign, the Westies finally got started Saturday afternoon against Sacred Heart Academy.
Despite playing well, the Westies fell to Sacred Heart Academy 1-0 as the Sharks scored in their final at bat at Albertus Magnus College.
”It was a pitching duel,” Morrell said. “Both pitchers pitched very well. They were able to squeak out a run in the bottom of the seventh. It is a tough opening game loss.”
Abby McDonald’s walk-off run-scoring single to score Kyleen Crowe in the bottom of the seventh inning was all Sacred Heart Academy needed to top the Westies.
In a game matching stellar pitchers, Bernadette Kingsbury struck out 10 for the Sharks, while West Haven’s Santos struck out six. West Haven managed just three hits in the games, singles by Lynn and Santos, and a double by White.
Lynn singled in the first, but was erased on a ground out, before West Haven threatened in the second.
Santos lined a single to right with one out, Rodriguez walked, and each advanced on a sacrifice by Thibodeau. The Westies did not score as Kingsbury recorded a strikeout to end the frame.
West Haven’s best opportunity came in the fourth as White led off with a double, but Kingsbury struck out the next three batters to end the threat.
After the Westies threw a Sacred Heart Academy runner out at the plate to end a fifth inning threat, White walked with two outs in the sixth but was left stranded.
The Westies went quietly in the seventh, before Crowe singled with one out in the bottom of the seventh for the Sharks. With two outs and Crowe on third, McDonald singled to drive in the winning run for the Sharks.
For all your West Haven sporting news all season long, including game articles, photos, videos, statistics and more, visit www.westieblue.com.
Star of the Week
Looking to start the season on the right foot, the West Haven boys lacrosse team turned to its leaders. Those leaders have led the Westies to a 2-1 start to the season.
Consider Nick Massaro among those who have made an immediate impact early in the season as he has accumulated seven goals and four assists for 11 points in three games.
Massaro started the season with a goal and an assist in an opening-day loss to Amity, before scoring three times and adding two assists in a victory over Wilbur Cross. Scoring three times and adding an assist against Foran, Massaro led his team to a 10-9 overtime win.