Swampscott Little League softball team wins District 16 crown

LYNN – It wasn’t quite the way that Swampscott wanted to do it, but none the less, they still will take the outcome of Thursday’s District 16 Little League Softball final against Wyoma.In a race against the weather, Swampscott broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the third inning and then added three runs in the bottom of the fourth. The threatening skies then opened up, giving Swampscott a 6-2, rain-shortened win and the district title.”The girls are very happy,” Swampscott manager Henry Wong said. “I think that the team we have has a chance to move on.”Wyoma held Swampscott to just two hits in the game, but pitchers Molly Doyle and Krista Cuozzo struggled to find the strike zone. The two combined to walk 10 hitters, and coupled with three errors, it proved to be their downfall.”We tried something a little bit different with Molly,” Wyoma manager Jen Cash said. “We thought that maybe they’d get a little nervous with her speed.”Swampscott was the ones who played nervous early as Wyoma was intent on forcing a winner-take-all game for the title.Tatiana Doucette opened the game with a double against Swampscott starter Abby Chung. Shanna Zeramby’s single sent her to third and she scored on Amy Blocksidge’s grounder back to the mound.Chung whiffed Kaitlyn Calef for the second out with Zeramby at third. Frankie Galeazzi then bounced a grounder between short and third, scoring Zeramby for a 2-0 lead.Doyle followed with a hit that put runners on first and second. Third baseman Taylor Cash then got Wyoma’s fifth hit of the inning, a single to left. Galeazzi tried to score on the play but Stephanie Collins made a perfect throw to Emma Walsh at the plate to retire Galeazzi.”I think Abby was a little nervous in that first inning,” Wong said.Swampscott fought right back in the bottom of the first as Wyoma’s walk problem began to show itself. Walsh walked to open the inning and went to third on a stolen base and passed ball.Chung followed with a walk before Walsh was thrown out trying to steal home. A third walk to Tori Thistle preceded an error that allowed Chung to score Swampscott’s first run. Doyle then issued her fourth walk in a row to Alexa Steriti, spelling the end of her outing as Cuozzo took over.Cuozzo struck out Erin Cassidy and got Bridget Genoversa-Wong for the final two outs but not before Swampscott had made it 2-0 when Thistle scored on a passed ball.Swampscott threatened to take the lead in the second with the bases loaded and one out but Cuozzo got Chung on a pop-up to Cash, who stepped on third to double up Claire Surrette and end the inning.Wyoma, meanwhile, went ice cold at the plate. Chung held them to one hit over the final four innings of play.”We had great hitting in that first inning and then struggled,” Cash said. “I think the kids lost their confidence a little bit.”By this point, black clouds began to move in over left field. And with the thunderstorms looming, Swampscott went looking for the run that would put them ahead in case the game was called.And they got it in the third when Cassidy walked, stole second and went to third on a base hit by Genovesa-Wong. A walk to Rachel Brenner loaded the bases and another to Paulina Ferullo drove in Cassidy to make it 3-2.Wyoma had a chance to tie in the fourth when Doyle walked to lead off. Cash then bunted to third, but the throw was wild, allowing pinch runner Samantha Holey to try and score. But Steriti chased down another errant throw in left to get Holey by a whisker at the plate.Swampscott used that momentum to put the game away in the bottom of the fourth. A walk and an error put Walsh and Chung on first and second. Thistle delivered Walsh with a base hit to left and Chung came in on a Cassidy fielder’s choice. Cassidy later scored on a throwing error to make it 6-2.Chung retired the first two batters in the fifth before the rains finally came at 7:02 p.m. Just under a half-hour later, the game was called, giving Swampscott the district title.”We ran ourselves out o