Classical outlasts Newton South

NEWTON – The postseason is all about tight, intense matchups and that’s exactly the type of game the Lynn Classical softball team found itself in Saturday afternoon.The No. 8 Rams held off a pesky Newton South squad, 6-5, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the MIAA Division 1 North tournament.With her team trailing by two in its final at-bat, Newton’s Joy Yang ripped a double to the left-center gap to lead off the inning. An errant throw to first from shortstop Franki Galeazzi on an ensuing grounder by Morgan Woods allowed Yang to score.No. 3 hitter Annie McDonald-Schwartz followed with a perfectly placed bunt that she not only beat out, but advanced to second on. After getting Maya Alper to pop to short, pitcher Ivy Martin was bailed out by third baseman Sam Earp, who snared a sharp ground ball and threw home to nail Woods.What transpired next is the type of play that will be remembered for quite some time.With the tying and winning runs in scoring position, Minh-An Quinn blooped what looked like the walk-off hit to right field. Classical second baseman Angela Erelli raced out with her back to the infield and corralled the final out before being mobbed by her teammates.”We practice those plays Sam and Angela made over and over again and it paid off today,” said Classical coach Chris Warren. “In the last inning I went out to talk to them and reminded them we still had the lead. I don’t know if that settled them down, but we got two fantastic plays that saved the game.”Up 6-1 through five innings, it looked as if Classical would move on without hesitation, especially with Martin cruising right along. Newton showed resiliency, however, scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth.Sloppy defense and some timely bleeders played into the inning as Martin surrendered a two-run single to Monica Cipriano sandwiched between two errors. The one rough inning was not enough to overshadow Martin’s outing as a whole.”Ivy really stepped up and pitched her tail off today,” said Warren of his sophomore pitcher. “She shut them down for five innings before our defense stopped supporting her for a bit. I was really proud of the way she pitched.”The Rams were aggressive at the plate and on the basepaths all game long, leading to the comfortable 6-1 lead. Classical struck early in the first as freshman Gabbie Kenniston (3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI) ripped a one-out double to left field before scoring on a two-out double from Olivia DeJoie.Newton tied things in the second inning on an RBI single from Rebecca Houston-Read before the Rams grabbed the lead right back in the fourth. Jillian Strileckis was hit by a Kim-An Quinn pitch to lead off the frame. On the ensuing sacrifice bunt from Martin, Strileckis rounded second and never stopped, drawing a bad throw, which allowed her to score.The Rams would open things up in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring twice in each frame.Galeazzi led off the fifth with a perfect bunt single before Kenniston’s second double drove her in. Kenniston would eventually score on a wild pitch. The bottom of the order got in on the action in the sixth for the Rams.Bobbie Dee Regan earned a one-out walk before nine-hitter Krista Cuozzo singled. After both Regan’s pinch-runner Chelsea Martin and Cuozzo advanced into scoring position, Galeazzi dropped down a flawless sacrifice bunt, scoring Martin. Cuozzo would come in right after on a single from Kenniston.”Franki and Gabbie really set the tone for us on offense today,” said Warren. “Franki’s bunting and speed were seen today and Gabbie has been killing the ball. Having them as our 1-2 really picks us up.”Classical will next play today (4) at No. 1 Concord-Carlisle, which won Saturday night’s matchup against No. 17 Malden, 10-1.