LYNN — The Classical softball team came into the Division 1 North state tournament looking to give its three seniors a final run as Rams. So far, so good.
No. 15 Classical took down No. 18 Lexington, 5-2, Thursday afternoon at Grace Rogato Field in the preliminary round of play.
“After the game every player said, ‘we felt it today,'” Rams coach Erica Richard said. “We were loose, we were focused, we executed. We got out of big innings when we needed to. We played our softball today. We’re going in with the mindset that we have to work harder than anybody.
“Everything came together today,” Richard added. “It felt like every player did what they were expected to do.”
Classical starting pitcher Tori Adams pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowed one earned run on three hits and struck out seven. Freshman Brooke Warren came on in relief and threw 3 2/3 innings. Warren allowed one earned run on two hits.
Rams catcher Meg Leavitt played a stellar game defensively and at the plate. Leavitt threw out one baserunner attempting to steal, picked off another runner at third base and made a highlight-reel catch on a pop-fly to help escape a jam. She went 1-for-1 with a single and reached base in all three of her at-bats.
“Meg, Tori and Johnna (Calder) are our three seniors,” Richard said. “They’re my first four-year group. We wanted it for them. We haven’t won a game in the tournament in their first three years. When Meg makes big plays and Tori pitches the way she did, we have to finish it for them.”
Classical rallied for three runs in the bottom of the second. Leavitt reached on an error and courtesy runner Mary Collins advanced on Ciara Collins’ sac-bunt. Adams (1-for-1, RBI, walk) helped her own cause with a RBI triple, plating Mary Collins for the 1-0 lead. A Lexington error allowed Adams to score, and Classical stretched its lead to 3-0 on a sac-fly from Maddie Dana (1-for-2, two RBI).
That’s how it stayed until the bottom of the fourth, when Classical tacked on one more. Adams led the inning with a walk, took second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on an Amanda Wilkins sac-bunt. Dana laced a RBI single, scoring Adams to boost Classical’s lead to 4-0.
Adams and the Rams ran into trouble in the top of the fifth, when Lexington loaded the bases and scored its first run on a Jenny Lewitzki RBI bunt single. Warren stepped into the circle with the bases loaded and one out. Leavitt picked off a Minuteman runner at third and Warren induced a fly-out to end the threat.
“They had seen Tori a couple times and Brooke’s a different look,” Richard said. “She’s a different speed. She helped get rid of their confidence a little bit. It worked out.
“Brooke throws strikes,” Richard added. “She lets her defense make plays behind her. You couldn’t tell she’s a freshman. She was confident out there.”
Lexington slimmed the lead to 4-2 on Janna Lee’s RBI double in the sixth.
Refusing to take their feet off the gas, the Rams plated a big insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Calder (2-for-4) roped a single with two outs and scored all the way from first on a Rebecca Walker (1-for-4, RBI) blooper that fell in for a RBI single.
Warren, save for a two-out walk, made quick work of Lexington in the seventh to cap the 5-2 win.
Classical advances to Saturday’s (3) first round game at No. 2 Acton-Boxboro.
