Peabody wins District title

SWAMPSCOTT – The Peabody Little League softball squad served notice Wednesday – if it hadn’t done so already – that District 16 is no longer a two-team fiefdom.Swampscott and Wyoma, which have shared the district title pretty much exclusively since Little League softball began, had better make room.Peabody defeated Swampscott, 12-1, to win the district title in its first year of competition ? and only its second season playing fast-pitch softball.”We really worked hard for this,” said Peabody manager John Blake. “I think, since the day we were given permission to start, we’ve had one day off. Three-hour practices. We went over situation after situation.”It showed. Peabody took advantage of every opportunity it was given (and there were a lot of them in a seven-run first inning) and made every play in the field until the issue was long in doubt. In fact, the only matter of doubt in the game came in the bottom of the fourth, when Swampscott scored its only run, had the bases loaded with one out, and it looked as if the game would go six innings instead of the four innings required by the 10-run rule.But pitcher Olivia Keane got out of the jam without giving up another run, and the game ended after four.”They were pretty impressive,” said Swampscott manager Dick Faulkner. “It looks like they have some great athletes over there.”To me, they look very capable of winning a state title.”The first inning was a nightmare for Swampscott and its pitcher, Leanne Nisbet. Peabody scored seven times, even though Nisbet really didn’t give up a lot. There were a lot of hits that fell between fielders, and a number of errors that contributed to the rally. The biggest hit of the inning was Jenna DiLisio’s two-run single.Keane, given a seven-run cushion, didn’t allow Swampscott a nibble until the fourth. Faulkner thought that perhaps bunting on her would help ? but it didn’t. Wherever the ball went, Peabody made the plays.And when Peabody scored three more runs in the second, to make it 10-0, it was pretty much all over but the shouting.However, relief pitcher Nicole Modica, an 11-year-old, proved to be a bright spot for Swampscott, coming in to relieve Nisbet in the third and striking out the side. And though she hit two batters in the fourth, and Peabody scored two runs, she settled down to get out of the inning without further damage, giving her team a chance to play a complete game.And her efforts were almost rewarded when, with one out, Swampscott loaded the bases. And when Mia Hopkins hit a bullet to short, Sydney Cresta, who had singled with one out, beat the throw home to make it 12-1.But Keane bore down, and got the final two outs.Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].