Regionals next for Babe Ruth softball

The Babe Ruth 14U softball all-stars finished second behind host Plymouth in the state tournament over the weekend, but their runner-up status earned them a spot in the New England Regionals July 24-27 in Rochester, N.H.Lynn lost its opening game to Plymouth, 9-6, but went to town in the second game, defeating Halifax, 15-5, in a game that was shortened by the 10-run rule. Lynn went into Sunday needing to defeat Plymouth twice, but it wasn?t in the cards. Plymouth won 12-2.The first game against Plymouth was a heartbreaker for the Lynn team, which actually led 6-5 heading into the top of the seventh inning. Plymouth scored four runs and then shut Lynn down in the bottom of the inning to preserve the win.?We were hitting the ball,” manager Jim Giguere said. “A lot of our outs were either line drives or solid contact balls.”Giguere said the Plymouth center fielder stole the show with a shoestring catch on a sinking line drive to right center by Alaina Gridley with the bases loaded in the second inning.Lynn had several players swing the bat well, including Savannah Norcross, who was 4-for-4 with two bunt singles in the second game. Gridley hit the ball well all weekend and Emily Stevenson had three hits and two RBI in the first game.Johnna Lee Calder pitched both games on Saturday and did a nice job. Julia Jordan got the call on Sunday and was strong through the first few innings. The team has five 14-year-olds and nine 13s.