Cuozzo’s no hitter helps Lynn 16U Babe Ruth softball team win Mass. crown

For The ItemLYNN – Katie Cuozzo had flirted with throwing a no-hitter for Classical on her birthday during the high school season.On Sunday at Grace ROgato Field in the U-16 state title game against Revere, Cuozzo was able to get her no-no.The senior to be at Classical surrendered two walks and saw two others reach on errors as she slammed the door on Revere, 3-0, to clinch a trip to next weekend’s New England Regionals in Plymouth, N.H.”Katie really pitched a solid game,” Lynn manager Bob Cuozzo said. “And we needed that.”Cuozzo had carried a no-hitter into the sixth against Revere on Saturday in a 5-0 Lynn win. And as it turned out, Lynn needed her to be on because Revere made life very difficult on Sunday for the host team.Lynn got the scoring started in the top of the first when Marianne Halas tripled to right with one out. She crossed moments later when Danielle Moran’s fly ball to left was dropped for a 1-0 lead. Revere pitcher Sabrina Palermo got the next two batters to end the inning.Revere got the lead off batter aboard in the bottom of the first when Kristina Stella reached on an error. But she would be stranded at second following a sacrifice.The pitchers would take over from there as Lynn managed only three hits in the next five innings while Revere left the tying run on third in the bottom of the fourth when Cuozzo strick out Michaela Maguire.Lynn gave Cuozzo an insurance run in the fifth when Taylor Cash led off with a single. A pair of groundouts moved pinch runner Jessica Perez to third for Moran, who stroked a single to left for a 2-0 lead.Cuozzo’s teammates gave her a little more breathing room in the top of the seventh.Chelsey Martin was hit by a pitch to lead off and went to third on Cash’s sacrifice bunt. Another one of Cuozzo’s Ram teammates, Jerrica De Los Santos, delivered the knockout punch when she belted a one hopper to the fence in left for a triple and a 3-0 lead.”I think that Jerrica’s hit really took the win out of their sails,” Bob Cuozzo said.Jackie Noel reached on an error to lead off the seventh but Cuozzo got two groundouts and Maguire on strikes to polish off the win.