Swampscott Little League softball team wins state title

The Swampscott Little League team won a tension-frought game Saturday at Worcester State College over Jesse Burkett, 7-5, to score a two-game sweep in the best-of-three state championship series and give the North Shore its third title in the last four years.Swampscott now goes to Albany, N.Y., beginning Saturday, when it plays Maine, for the East Regionals. The girls will be in one pool that includes all six New England teams. There will be five mid-Atlantic teams in the second pool. Each team will play four games, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the semifinals.Pitcher Bridget Genoversa-Wong had her troubles in Saturday’s game. She didn’t have her best stuff, but she got by on nerves of steel, snuffing out rallies left and right, including one in the bottom of the sixth inning when Burkett, out of Worcester, stranded the tying runs on the bases.”She was grinding,” said manager Henry Wong. “I think she threw over 150 pitches. It was a very tense game.”It was also a very balanced game for Swampscott, with the defense kicking in as much as the offense did. Two plays in particular stood out as rally-killers. In the first inning, already trailing 1-0, Burkett got a leadoff single. The next batter sacrificed, the runner on first got a little greedy and tried to swipe third in the process, but was thrown out.”It was a great play,” said Wong. “And it’s something we practice too.”Later in the game, with a runner on third and one out, a Burkett batter walked and just kept going to second. Genoversa-Wong faked a throw to second in an attempt to lure the runner off third, and the ploy worked. She easily threw her out at home, and there was another rally snuffed out.”Those were to huge plays,” said Wong, “especially since Bridget was really struggling out there.”The teams went into the fifth inning tied at 3-3 when Swampscott launched its game-winning rally.Torii Thistle and Alexa Steriti started things off with back-to-back singles. Erin Cassidy’s bunt single loaded the bases, and Genoversa-Wong walked to force in a run and break the tie.Stephanie Collins, who also had a big hit earlier in the game, singled home the fifth run; and Top fifth inning. Tori Thistle Alexa Steriti started it off with back-to-back singles. Erin Cassidy bunt single and Genoversa-Wong walked to force in firsit run. Stephanie Collins had a hit to drive in another run; and Leah Dawley drew a walk to make it 6-3.Sammy Rizzo got the seventh run home on a fielder’s choice grounder, with Genoversa-Wong beating the throw home.Emma Walsh also had a big day offensively for Swampscott, knocking in a run.Genoversa-Wong went the distance, and actually only gave up one hit – a bunt single.”But she hung tough,” Wong said. “She struggled with every batter she faced. She went to a full count on almost every one of them, as control was really an issue for her. But she got the outs when she needed them.”Burkett fought right through the end, getting two runs in the bottom of the sixth before Genoversa-Wong finally put out the fire for good.This is Swampscott’s second state title in four years.