Cheshire wins its sixth straight

WOODBRIDGE — Both the Cheshire and Amity softball teams entered Friday afternoon’s tilt on top of their games.

The Spartans had allowed just one run in their last four games, including three shutouts, while the Rams had outscored their opponents by 31 runs in a five-game winning streak.

One of the trends was going to continue and Cheshire made sure it was on the Rams’ side.

Scoring seven runs in the first two innings, Cheshire rolled to a 14-5 victory in a Southern Connecticut Conference interdivision contest at Amity High.

“I am most proud of how we prepared for this game,” Cheshire coach Kristine Botto Drust said after her team improved to 8-2 with its sixth straight victory.

“We have lost a couple of games this year, and we knew this was going to be a game coming in. The top of the order is getting the job done, and the bottom of the order is figuring it out. They are coming through. I am happy the way we prepared and their minds were where they were supposed to be even with the big lead.”

The top of the Cheshire order set the tone of the game against Amity’s starting freshman pitcher Amara Forstrom as Grace Lurz and Karissa Spring combined for nine of the team’s 19 hits and drove in three runs.

The next three batters, Tai Byrd, Cat Palmer, and Emily Grayson, each finished with two hits, with Palmer driving in four runs, including a three-run homer in the fourth inning for a 10-2 Cheshire lead.

“I have confidence in Grace (Lurz),” Spring said after finishing with five hits in five at bats. “I know if she is going to do her job, I need to step up for the team and do my job. We had a long practice yesterday. We watched film. We came in here with no regrets and we wanted to leave with no regrets.”

Lurz and Spring set the tone in the first inning as Lurz reached on a bunt single and scored on Spring’s double. Palmer singled to score Spring for a 2-0 lead.

“I am really proud of how we prepared today,” Drust said. “I am also proud of how we kept our composure and command on the field.”

Amity, ranked sixth in the GameTimeCT Top 10 poll, got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Cosette Zito singled with one out, stole second, and scored on a pair of errors by the Rams. The Rams and Spartans