Wyoma softball rallies for win

LYNN – The Wyoma and Swampscott softball teams have had a monopoly on the District 16 title for the past three seasons. And in each of those three years, the champion wound up going to the Eastern Regional in Albany, NY.On Wednesday at Lynn Woods Field, the two teams clashed again as another chapter in the burgeoning rivalry continued. This time it was Wyoma coming out on top, riding the back of a five-run fifth inning that gave them the lead and an eventual 6-5 win.”It’s always a battle when you play Swampscott, no matter what sport,” Wyoma manager John Traversy said. “The girls battled and didn’t give up when we didn’t take advantage of our early opportunities.”Swampscott was its own worst enemy on Wednesday, committing six errors that helped squander a 3-1 lead in the late going.”We had some great plays defensively but on the other side of the spectrum we had some bad ones,” Swampscott manager John Rizzo said. “And you can’t give a team like them that many extra outs.”After a quiet first, Swampscott’s defensive flaws started to show in the second. Jillian Strileckis reached on an error and went to third on Gabby Kenniston’s single with two outs. An overthrow on the play let Kenniston go to second before Sam Rizzo struck out Olivia Traversy to diffuse the threat.Swampscott put a pair of runners on in the bottom of the inning before Molly Doyle struck out Victoria Himarus looking to end the inning.Wyoma broke the ice in the third when Shaina Zeramby singled with one out and went to second when Kristen Lauria’s grounder to second was bobbled. After Doyle popped out to the mound, Francesca Galeazzi singled to left, scoring Zeramby for a 1-0 lead.Swampscott again had a chance to get on the board in the bottom of the third when Caitlyn Gorman was hit by a pitch to begin the inning. Strileckis promptly threw her out trying to swipe second.Regan O’Brien and Rizzo followed with walks that were sandwiched by an Emma Faulkner strikeout. Doyle then got Danielle Maybylum to pop up to short to end the inning.”Maggie pitched fantastic,” Traversy said. “That’s the best that I’ve seen her pitch this season.”Doyle, who struck out 10 but walked nine in the game, danced with trouble again in the fourth. This time, she couldn’t escape.Tessa Beane started the inning with a walk and went to second on a wild pitch. Julia Potter bunted for a base hit and stole second. Nora Bishop followed with another perfect bunt that scored Beane to tie the game.Doyle struck out the next two batters before O’Brien ripped a single to center, scoring Potter and Bishop for a 3-1 lead.Having stolen the momentum, Swampscott was looking to hang on. And when Rizzo got Megan Clancy to line to right to begin the fifth it looked like that was set to happen. But the ball was misplayed allowing Clancy to reach third and give Wyoma life.Wyoma took full advantage as Clancy scored the tying run by beating Faulkner’s throw home on Kristen Lauria’s grounder to short. A passed ball moved Lauria to second and she scored when Doyle’s single to left was misplayed to tie the game.Galeazzi and Strileckis walked to load the bases before Kenniston gave Wyoma the lead for good when she ripped a 2-run single to left. Pinch runner Meaghan O’Neill scored the final run of the inning on a passed ball with two outs.”We weren’t hitting very good at all in the beginning,” Traversy said. “But we finally woke up.”Doyle had to dance out of trouble again in the bottom of the inning as she loaded the bases with two outs before striking out Himarus to end the inning. Not one to quit, Swampscott would make it interesting in the sixth.Gorman, O’Brien and Faulkner immediately loaded the bases. Rizzo’s fielder’s choice erased Gorman at home for the first out before Maybylum singled in one run and a Beane ground out cut the lead to 6-5. But Doyle dug in her heels and recorded her 10th strikeout of the game, getting Emily Fiore to end it.