Swampscott LL softball ready for Jesse Burkett

In its quest for a state title, the Swampscott Little League softball team will take on Jesse Burkett Little League this weekend in the state finals at Rockwood Field on the Worcester State College campus. Game One is on Friday (5:30), the second game is Saturday (3) and the if-necessary game is Sunday.Swampscott last played on Wednesday, July 14, but manager Eve Gambale said that the layoff might actually benefit her team.”They’ve been working really hard,” Gambale said. “It’s not really time off. It’s a little (bit) to rest and recuperate. They’ll come back ready to go. It was much-needed time to cool off. It’s been so hot; it was exhausting playing and practicing in the heat. It’s nice to have down time.”On the field, opponents have been unable to cool off Swampscott. In the state semifinals at Rockwood Field last Wednesday, the team routed East Bridgewater in four innings, 14-2.”Everyone’s been a big contributor,” Gambale said of her team’s season. “It’s what helped us be so successful. We were not as aware (earlier). I didn’t expect us to be as deep ? I was impressed.”Gambale praised her entire lineup, and cited several players in particular, including Christina King, Emma Faulkner and Gabby Fagone.”King has really done extremely well at the plate,” Gambale said. “She’s hitting really well.”The manager described her lineup as being multifaceted.”We have pretty big power hitters, but also players who can bunt and get on with speed,” Gambale said. “It’s worked at both ends.”On the mound, Julia Potter has done the bulk of the pitching, with King also contributing and Jessica Potter (Julia’s twin sister) helping out as well.Gambale listed depth as a strength of the team.”I think it’s one of the really good points about our team,” she said. “When we get our best innings is when our subs come in. I’d say we go very deep.”The manager also sounded like she hoped the recent spate of warm weather will have abated come Friday.”In one game we played, against Wakefield (a 16-3 sectional win that was played over parts of two days due to rain), it got rained out on day one, and on the second day we played, it was 95 degrees,” Gambale said. “It was really hot. Luckily it only went four innings; we’d played two the previous day. It was hot for the pitchers.”