The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Torrington upended by Seymour
TORRINGTON » Torrington softball’s Alexis Tyrrell christened the school’s new outfield fence with a first-inning home run. Then it went south for the Red Raiders in a 5-1 loss to undefeated Seymour (9-0) Monday afternoon.
“I knew as soon as I threw that pitch, it was gone,” said Wildcat sophomore Jenna Geffert, replacing her All-American sister Raeanne on Seymour’s mound this year. “I just had to bear down; I know we’re going to score runs.”
Despite four Torrington hits in the first two innings, the Wildcats justified Geffert’s faith in the top of the third. Leadoff hitter Becca Johnson started it with a line single to left; Shari Minalga drew a full count walk from Torrington ace Ali Dubois; Beca Findley rifled a two-run double down the third base line for the Wildcat lead.
“We go with Becca Johnson,” said Seymour Coach Ken Pereiras. “When she gets on base, we can make things happen.”
“(Dubois) is very good, but I’ve come up against her so many times, I just try to be relaxed and hit the ball,” said Findley, the Wildcat junior who made it happen. “I just try to make contact.”
For Torrington, now 4-3, Seymour’s 2-1 third-inning lead was acceptable. Three more unearned runs, four errors and a clutch of mental errors wasn’t.
“That was miserable,” said Coach Maryann Musselman. “Ali pitched well (7 innings, 2 earned runs, 5 hits, 9 strikeouts, 4 walks), but we made too many mistakes.”
Tyrrell, starting the game so positively for the Raiders, was even more disgusted.
“(The home run) doesn’t matter. You can’t give up unearned runs to a team like Seymour — you just can’t,” she said.
Unearned runs were glaring, but missed opportunities were also part of the misery for the Red Raiders, whose three losses have now come exclusively from the two teams above them in the NVL standings — twice to Seymour and once to Holy Cross.
Monday, after Tyrrell’s leadoff bomb over the fence, 220 feet away, Carissa Carbone and Dubois followed with one-out singles in a shot for a big first inning. Instead, a bunt attempt popped up to Geffert for a double play at first.
Down 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning after a pair of walks and an error let in another Wildcat run, Torrington had a chance to storm back.
With two outs, Alyssa Dowd slapped a bunt single, followed by a pair of walks to load the bases. Seymour shortstop Findley scooped up the final out for a throw to first, no harm done.
Tyrrell’s point about unearned runs came home hard two more times. Wildcat Molly Adamo beat out a passed ball third strike in the top of the sixth, got to third on a pair of groundouts and scored on a Torrington error.
Findley reached first on a throwing error in the top of the seventh, scoring on a double from Chelsea Avila.
Avila joined Torrington’s misery in the worst possible way in the bottom of the inning, twisting her leg on an attempt at a pop foul, riding off in an ambulance two outs from Seymour’s win.
Avila, a junior, will be back. Geffert (7 innings, 1 earned run, 5 hits, 8 strikeouts, 4 walks) will keep getting better.
“I’ve lived behind my sister all my life. She’s great, but I’m trying to make my own way,” she said. So are the Red Raiders. “They’re a good team. Come tourney time, they’ll be ready,” said Coach Pereiras.