English softball holds on for win

SWAMPSCOTT – Holding a 5-2 lead entering the bottom of the seventh inning against Swampscott on Friday it looked like the Lynn English softball team was going to get a much-needed win after a loss to Saugus on Wednesday.The Big Blue, however, had other ideas and promptly loaded the bases. When Heather Tevrow doubled to right, the Bulldogs needed a save-the-day play and that’s just what they got when catcher Cara Crowley took a relay throw from Larissa Paula at second and made a diving tag on Courtney Fletcher to preserve the lead and an eventual 5-4 road win. The Bulldogs have now eclipsed their win total of last season.Click here for a photo gallery from the game”The defense really came through in the seventh inning,” English coach Alisa Fila said. “(Shortstop) Cathia (Hernandez) made a great diving catch and Larissa and Cara made a great play there.”After going 3-17 a year ago, the Bulldogs improved to 4-5 with the win as all three facets of the game were working on Friday.”We told them before the game that if we are going to win, we need everyone on the team to come through,” Fila said. “And when they play like this, good things are going to happen.”Across the way, the Big Blue (4-6) had to go without two starters in its lineup as Mallorie McGrath was out sick and Moe Bradley was out for disciplinary reason, leaving coach Annamaria Addonizio without her starting second baseman and catcher.English got going early, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first. Val Fiaccaprili reached on an infield single, stole second and moved to third on Jen Mageary’s sacrifice bunt. She then scored on a passed ball.The Big Blue turned to its tablesetter to tie the game in the bottom of the first as Marissa Gambale reached on an infield single and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a stolen base. Fletcher brought her across on a ground out to third.English went back in front in the second when Amanda Witunsky doubled to lead things off. She headed to third on a passed ball and came around on a wild pitch.The Bulldogs broke the game open in the third, picking up three more runs on five hits and knocking starter Kirsten Vinal out of the game.Fiaccaprili, Crowley and Cathia Hernandez singled to load the bases with one out. Lauren Walsh followed with a 2-run single to right, plating Fiaccaprili and Crowley for a 4-1 lead. After a Witunsky hit, Paula’s grounder to second got Hernandez home for a 5-1 lead.Drown, meanwhile, had it on cruise control, holding Swampscott to two hits over the first four innings. The Big Blue got a run back in the fifth when Merry Ball, who filled in admirably for Bradley behind the plate, tripled and scored on Erin McLaughlin’s ground out to short.Fletcher replaced Vinal on the mound in the fourth and shut down the English offense the rest of the way, allowing one hit over the final four innings.That set the stage for Swampscott’s seventh inning rally. Gambale reached on an error to start things. Alex Wilson and Fletcher followed with singles to load the bases.Monica Mosho then hit a rocket up the middle that was snared by a diving Hernandez at short. English followed that up with its cutting down of Fletcher at the plate on Tevrow’s double and escaped when Ally Stephens popped up to Hernandez for the final out.”We win the game if a couple of those get through,” Addonizio said. “They made some great plays in the last inning.”