BEVERLY — Thanks to a pair of late inning rallies, the Peabody Tanners softball team put it all together on a balmy and breezy Sunday afternoon at Endicott College to win the 13th Annual Courtney Corning Memorial Softball Tournament.
The Tanners had only two hits through the first five innings of the championship game against Danvers, but broke the game wide open with four runs in the top of the sixth inning to beat the Falcons, 8-3, the big hits being an RBI single from Peabody starter Tianna Dawe and a 2-run single from Mackenzie Marmion.
“Hits are contagious, and once one person gets it going, they all seem to,” said Peabody coach Tawny Palmieri. “I knew it was going to be a close game with Danvers, it always is and we knew that every pitch matters. No team is going to let up and everyone fought to the end. Until that last inning, we really were holding our breath.”
Earlier in the semifinals, the Tanners were also embroiled in a tight one only to pull away to a 10-0 win with a late rally. Leading Bishop Fenwick 2-0 going into the seventh inning, freshman Gina Terrazzano sparked an 8-run rally with a leadoff home run. In her second at-bat in the inning, she drilled a line-drive, 2-run shot to the same spot in left-center. Kristina Rossignoll also came up clutch in the inning, clearing the bases with a bases-loaded single.
The win was the first in 10 years for the Tanners in the tournament and the third since the tournament was founded in 2007. The tourney honors the memory of Corning, a Peabody High senior and teammate of Palmieri’s who was killed in a car accident on January 5, 2007 at the age of 17.
Fittingly, the Tanners’ win came on Corning’s 30th birthday.
“This has been an incredible day,” said Courtney’s dad, Jack. “For Peabody to win it on Courtney’s birthday is just so special and I am so proud of them. I’m proud of Butch (Melanaphy), who put things in place for the team last year. He coached Courtney and her sister Lindsey and everything they did, they learned from him, so he deserves a lot of credit for what he did to prepare these girls for this moment.”
Palmieri, who played on the Tanners’ team that won the Corning in 2008, said winning the Corning was high on her wish list.
“It’s been 10 years of not winning this tournament so our main focus coming in here was to win it,” said Palmieri. “Courtney played in Peabody. It was time to bring it home to Courtney and Peabody and the kids knew the significance of it.”
In the consolation game, the Crusaders let an early lead slip away and fell to Beverly, 10-4. Leading 4-3 going into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Crusaders fell apart defensively, opening the door for the Panthers who scored six unearned runs to seal the win. Fenwick had a chance in the top of the seventh inning after Meredith McIntosh led off with a single and Emma Burke reached on an infield error, but Beverly reliever Emily Stillwell struck out the next three batters to end the threat.
“We were hoping for a good rally there in the last inning but we just couldn’t get it today,” said Fenwick coach Michelle Zullo. “All year long we have struggled with that one big inning, and today it was the same story. It’s also tough in a tournament like this because we have only one pitcher and Emma (Burke) held her own the whole day. I’m very proud of her as it’s not easy going out there and pitching two games back-to-back games in 88 degrees. She held her own the whole day so I am very proud of her.”
One of the highlights of the tournament is the presentation of the four Corning Foundation scholarships that are awarded to one player from each of the four teams.
Dawe (Emmanuel) was the Tanners’ recipient, while Tessa Palermo (Roger Williams) was the Crusaders’ recipient. Anna Lowd (Worcester State University) was the Falcons’ recipient, while Molly Pierce (University of Southern Maine) was the recipient for the Panthers.
