Saugus Junior Little Leaguers bow out of tournament

LYNN ? The Saugus American junior Little League softball team’s bid for a spot in the state tournament came to an end with a 10-2 loss to a talented Sandwich team at Lynn Woods Playground, Friday night.Sandwich pitcher Brianna Smith limited Saugus to two hits. Though she walked nine, she was mostly able to limit the damage with some key strikeouts and occasional help from her teammates, who played an errorless game.Paige Stathopolous led Sandwich offensively with two hits, two runs and three RBI. Fran Davis also clubbed a triple, walked twice and scored three times, while Gina DeLeo was 2-for-2 with two walks and three runs, and turned in the defensive play of the game at second base with a catch that saved a run.Stephanie Terrazano and Gabby Cogliano had the hits for Saugus, while Courtney Canniff and Tiffany Basile drove in the runs, each with a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the fifth inning.”It was definitely a great experience for us,” Saugus American coach Anthony LoPresti said. “The first game we played against (Sandwich) was a 4-0 loss that was really a game of inches. I think we came out a little tight tonight.”Sandwich took the lead – for good as it turned out – with three runs in the top of the second inning off Saugus pitcher Jessica Borders. Davis walked, stole second and scored on a single by Statholpolous, who went to second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Cassidy Early. DeLeo added another run on a walk, stolen base and two wild pitches.After Davis walked and eventually came around on another single by Stathopolous in the third, Sandwich added three more runs in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead.DeLeo and Early opened the inning with singles. After a wild pitch, Kayla Souza hit a grounder to third. DeLeo scored, and Early escaped a rundown to put runners on first and second. After another wild pitch, Megan Congro’s grounder scored Early, and Souza came home later on an error.Saugus finally broke through in the fifth. Amanda DiScenzo, Cagliano and Holly Doyle opened the inning with walks. Canniff hit a grounder to Stathopolous at third. Stathopolous looked home, but didn’t throw, and by the time she looked to first she didn’t have a play there.Basile followed with a grounder to shortstop that scored Cogliano but resulted in a force out at second base. Terrazano’s sharp single to left loaded the bases again, but Smith ended the inning with a strikeout.Saugus threatened again in the fifth when Cogliano hit a 2-out single to center and went to second on a wild pitch. Maggie Palermo hit a ball that looked like it might drop in for a hit, but DeLeo snagged the ball near the line with a nice running catch to end the inning.Davis’s triple to right started Sandwich’s 3-run seventh that also included two errors, a walk and a hit batter.”They’re a solid team,” LoPresti said of Sandwich. “They put the ball in play and make the plays in the field without a lot of mistakes.”