Saugus softball cruises past English

LYNN – The Saugus softball team took advantage of Lynn English?s miscues to grab a 10-4 victory on Wednesday at Keaney Park.
The Sachems scored right out of the gate thanks to a leadoff walk to Mikayla Niles, a sacrifice from Jessica Allen, and a wild pitch that scored Niles from third. The Bulldogs came storming back, with pitcher and leadoff hitter Shanna Zeramby smacking a leadoff triple. Tommy Hill would drive her in with an infield single.
Saugus broke things open in the second frame. A couple of walks, a fielder?s choice, an error, and a single off the bat of Pauline Ascolese led to four runs for the Sachems.
In the third, Saugus?s Alex Almquist singled, reached third on a couple of wild pitches, and Jillian Cooper walked to get runners on first and third for Victoria Benoit, who lined a two-run single to right. In the fourth, Sachems pitcher Brooke Westmoreland helped herself with an RBI single.
The Bulldogs rallied in the fifth with a couple of runs thanks to an RBI single from Rachel Calnan, one of her two hits on the day, and a two-out single from Lindsey Lannon that scored Calnan.
From that point on, it was all Sachems, as they tacked on one more run in the sixth.
For the Bulldogs, the loss was a step in the right direction, but they still have work to do.
?It was one of our better games,” said English coach Jack Bartlett. “We?re making progress, but it?s a slow process.”
Bartlett said it was the mistakes in the field that proved most costly for English.
?A few poorly-timed errors really hurt us,” Bartlett said. “When we finally get rid of those mistakes, we?ll be better off. That was the difference for us today.”
Pitcher Shanna Zeramby had a solid day for English both on the mound and at the plate. She got the Bulldogs started in the bottom of the first with a leadoff triple. On the bump, Zeramby fanned four. She also was the victim of some shaky defense behind her, as the Bulldogs made a couple of costly errors.
?[Zeramby] is really giving us a complete effort out there every time she?s on the mound,” said Bartlett. “She?s gives 100 percent, and I can?t complain about what we?ve seen from her.”
It was a strong team victory for Saugus, as they continue to move in the right direction.
?I?m very proud of the way we?ve stepped up recently,” Saugus coach Jessica Lucier said. “We?re playing hard as a team and really supporting each other.”
Lucier spoke highly of Westmoreland, who allowed just one earned run and four hits for Saugus, striking out four and walking three.
?She came out strong, and when English started to rally, she stayed strong and finished, which is what we?ve been teaching her,” Lucier said. “It shows her maturity and confidence and how far she?s come.”
With the win, the Sachems improved to 3-5, while English dropped to 0-8.Katie Morrison may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @KatieMo61.