ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
Center fielder Vanessa Puopolo looks the runners back and avoids a collision with second baseman Gabrielle Cammarata after a blooper dropped into shallow center.
BY MIKE ALONGI
CONCORD — The Revere softball team played a solid game, but was done in by one bad inning Wednesday afternoon, falling to Concord-Carlisle, 13-8, in the Division 1 North quarterfinals at Concord-Carlisle High School.
It was a competitive game throughout, but Concord-Carlisle exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a commanding lead that stuck for the rest of the game.
“That one inning really did us in,” said Revere coach Joe Ciccarello. “That’s kind of been the story all year, a lot of our losses have come when we give up that one big inning and don’t hold our composure, and that’s what happened. When we’re on, we’re on, but when we lose our composure like that it kills us.”
Senior Juliana Cecere led the way for Revere, going 3-for-3 with three RBI and two walks. Senior Ally Hinojosa (3-for-3), senior Cheyanne Fullen (1-for-2), junior Vanessa Puopolo (2-for-4), sophomore Gia Santaniello (2-for-5) and sophomore Alina Guiliano (1-for-4) each had one RBI.
Revere struck early in the top of the first when Cecere knocked an RBI single into left field to take a 1-0 lead. The Patriots went on to load the bases, but couldn’t bring in anymore runs.
Concord-Carlisle managed to load up the bases in the bottom of the first, and it cashed in. Virginia Ryan gave the Patriots the lead with a two-run double to start things off. Next up was Lauren Harrington, who hit a sacrifice fly to bring in another run. Maeve Devlin capped off the inning with an RBI single to make the score 4-1.
Revere didn’t quit, however, and responded with three runs in the top of the second. Santaniello started it off with an RBI single, then Cecere hit a two-run single with the bases loaded to tie the score at 4-4.
Concord-Carlisle grabbed a run to make it 5-4 in the bottom of the third after two throwing errors on a steal attempt brought in Scout Boynton.
Revere was able to load up the bases again in the top of the fourth, but couldn’t take advantage of it.
Then came the bottom of the fifth. Concord-Carlisle loaded the bases, scored a run on a passed ball, then got an RBI bunt-single from Harrington on a suicide squeeze play. After Devlin hit a sacrifice fly to bring in one run, another run came in after a throwing error to make it 9-4. The Patriots loaded the bases again and got a two-run single from Emma Della Volpe. Two more runs came in on errors, and when the dust settled it was 13-4 Concord-Carlisle.
But Revere hung in there, grabbing three runs in the top of the sixth on RBI singles from Guiliano, Fullen and Hinojosa to make it 13-7, then loaded the bases again in the top of the seventh. After bringing in a run on an RBI walk by Puopolo, Concord-Carlisle pitcher Nicole Small was able to get a strikeout to end the game.
Concord-Carlisle will now move on to face No. 6 Newton North in the Division 1 North semifinals, while Revere finishes the season with a 14-7 record.
After the game and the postgame talk, Ciccarello talked about what his four seniors (Cecere, Hinojosa, Fullen and Gabrielle Cammarata) have meant to the program.
“Ally and Jules have been starting for me for four years, and Gabby and Cheyanne have been playing for three years, and they’ve been through thick and thin,” said Ciccarello. “This group has made it to at least the quarterfinals all four years, and not many teams can say that. Revere softball is on the map now and they’re a big reason why. They helped build up this program, and I’m going to miss them terribly.”
