BLUE STREAKS STAND, SWING AND DELIVER
Haley Waghorn hits walk-off single as Kayleigh Reome is solid in the circle
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » There wasn’t any surprise for Saratoga Springs softball coach Geoffrey Loiacono, it was only who would come away with the contest against Route 50 rival Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Thursday afternoon.
“I think for the last five years, it’s been seventh inning, eighth inning and ninth inning, it’s always been a one run game,” Blue Streak coach Geoffrey Loiacono said. “I told the girls today, I said, girls, you know what’s going to happen? We’re going to come back.
“It’s going to be a barn burner and it was once again. I’m happy to be out on top of it today.”
Blue Streak slugger Haley Waghorn delivered on her coach’s promise, delivering this year’s deciding swing with her walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning to drive in Ella Ouimet for the game-winning run and scratching out the 5-4 Suburban Council win.
“I try to be calm and collected when I’m at bat because that’s usually when I perform the best,” Haley Waghorn said. “Honestly, it’s really about my teammates just like cheering me on. They’re the energy in the dugout that keeps me going.”
Down 4-0 through four and a half innings Saratoga Springs chipped away at the Spartan’s lead.
Ouimet drove in Isabel Jones and Emily Cornell with her oneout double to centerfield in the bottom of the fifth before Olivia Jones reached safely on a comebacker to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake starter Grace Ruzzo.
Waghorn tied the contest at four apiece on a double to centerfield to square up the contest, 4-4.
Reome’s confidence never wavered in the circle Thursday, gaining confidence and calls as she continued to see the Burnt Hills line-up once again.
“Kayleigh, she wants to ball at the end of the game,” Loiacono said. “She gets stronger as the game goes on, I think that adrenaline gets pumping and she gets excited.
We tied the game up and she threw a couple of really great pitches and our defense stepped it up and played behind her.”
Reome also earned the respect from the Spartan bench with one batter returning behind the fence after being struck out saying emphatically, ‘Nasty change-up.’
“Honestly, that just started working about two games ago like that,” Kayleigh Reome said. “Usually I don’t throw it for a strike, but if it’s working I’m going to throw the nasty change up. I’m going to throw it well.”
Reome went the full seven innings, allowing four runs, just one of them earned. She gave up six hits, walked batters and struck out 10 for the win.
Her game plan included gaining momentum as the game continued and staying composed in the circle.
“When I first start off I’m just getting warmed-up and then as the game goes on I get stronger, I get better and I hit my spots better,” Reome said. “That’s really all I was trying to do today was hit my spots so my defense could make the plays.
“I like to not show my emotions to my teammates because if I get down I feel like they get down so I always try to stay up. I always try to stay composed, make sure I don’t look nervous out there and I just keep trying to throw.”
Burnt Hills slugger Morgan Skpowski struck for two doubles against Reome, driving in a run and scoring along with lead-off batter Katie Ramos who also went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
The energy outside the fence was also a factor in the Blue Streaks win Thursday.
“The five seniors that we have give us great leadership and the junior class is absolutely phenomenal and then we have a couple of underclassmen that just keep the ball game going,” Loiacono said. “They keep us loose, they keep us light.
“Some people like to call it immaturity, it keeps us loose, and it keeps us together and keeps us smiling. You know, and that’s, that’s huge.
“A couple of people hung their heads and I said to them, we’re going to get more chances. We’re going to get more chances and the kids just grinded it out today.”