PHOTO BY ANNE MARIE TOBIN
Saugus shortstop Lanna Queiroz puts down a tag on a Peabody runner during a District 16 softball game on Friday.
By ANNE MARIE TOBIN
The Peabody 12-year old all-star softball team was eliminated from the District 16 softball tournament with a 7-2 loss to Saugus at The Kiley School.
Saugus jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the big hits coming from Lanna Queiroz (single), pitcher Leah Ventre (RBI double) and Cat Schena (RBI single) and also capitalized on a pair of Peabody errors to score two unearned runs in the inning.
After that, Ventre stymied the Tanners, holding them to only two hits, while striking out 12. Madison Niles bombed a line drive homer over the fence in center field in the third to bump Saugus’ lead to 5-0.
In the bottom of the fourth, Isabel Bettencourt singled, then stole second and third and scored on a grounder to second by Sarah Broughton. Saugus got the run back on an RBI double by Schena (2-3, 2 RBI) in the fifth.
Peabody made things interesting in the bottom of the sixth, closing to 7-2, and had the bases loaded with one out, but Ventre struck out two of the last three batters to seal the win. Gina Terrazzano (ground rule double) had the only other Peabody hit.
Saugus plays Marblehead in an elimination game this afternoon at 5:45 (TBD).
