Classical softball falls in tingling mound duel

ACTON – Acton-Boxborough is one of the top girls softball programs in Division 1. Tuesday, Lynn Classical showed it might be ready to jump to that level.The Rams, seeded sixth and considered by most as an underdog to the No. 3 seeded Colonials, did everything possible to pull off the upset on the road.Classical got stellar pitching from Katie Cuozzo, played fantastic defense and had several good scoring chances. But A-B sophomore Sarah Ropiak baffled the Rams with a near-unhittable change-up in holding Classical to four hits while striking out nine as her team escaped with a 1-0 win.”A-B is a great team and a great program, as we are,” Rams coach Chris Warren said. “We had every feeling during we were going to come out on top. (Ropiak) pitched a great game for them and she kept us off balance all day.”The Colonials (19-3) had blown out Westford Academy, 15-0, in the first round Monday. But coach Mary Matthews knew that this game was going to be different almost immediately.”(Classical) is a very good team and we didn’t expect to have another blowout,” Matthews said. “Sarah pitched great, but so did their girl. Both teams played outstanding.”Click here for a photo gallery of yesterday’s gameClassical (18-6) put a pair of runners on in the top of the first but were unable to convert. The Colonials the turned to their James Madison University-bound leadoff batter, Cassidy Clayton, to get something started in the bottom of the first.The Colonials shortstop singled to right and went to second when the ball was misplayed in the outfield. Lindsey Gibbs sacrificed Clayton to third before Erin Fry hit a little pop-up to Fallon Gaudet on the edge of the outfield grass at second.Playing aggressively, Matthews sent Clayton on the play and she slid around Chelsey Bartlett’s tag to give A-B the lead.”Cassidy could be a No. 4 hitter for any other team,” Matthews said. “But we put her at lead off because she set the kind of tone I want to see. That’s why she’s going to be a good Division 1 player at James Madison.”Classical looked to steal back the momentum in the second when Jenny Garrity led off with a double to center. Jennie Erekson then hit a shot to third but Lauren Murphy snared it and flipped to Jenay Li at second to double up pinch runner Chelsey Martin and thwart the potential big inning.”Those are the little things that add up in games like this,” Warren said. “The girl made a great play at third to double us up there.”Defense and pitching ruled the day. Neither team would be able to string together hits against Cuozzo and Ropiak as the sophomores were outstanding.”Katie pitched phenomenal,” Warren said.”We just needed to string together a couple hits and couldn’t.”A-B looked to score an insurance run in the fifth when Maddie Hatch reached on an error with one out.Li bunted for a hit and Jess Proulx followed with a single to left but Hannah Byrne’s dead-eye relay of MacKenzie Coppinger’s throw got Hatch at the plate, and kept it a one run game.The Rams were doing everything to have a shot at the win but Ropiak wasn’t ready to let her team fall either.After Erekson singled to lead off the fifth, Ropiak would retired nine of the last 10 batters she’d face in the game, including striking out the side in the seventh to seal the win.”I think that we’re pretty close with these guys now,” Warren said.”We are definitely a program on the rise.”