LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield softball team showed some signs of solid play in its season opener Friday afternoon against Newburyport, but in the end the Pioneers couldn’t quite shake off enough rust in an 11-3 loss to the Clippers at Lynnfield High School.
Ava Marotta came up big on offense for the Pioneers , going 2-for-4 with a single, a double and two RBI. Abi Travers went 2-for-3 with a single and a triple, while Ava Gamache went 2-for-4 with a single and a double.
“This team is very young — out of the nine starters five of them were freshmen and sophomores,” said Lynnfield head coach Peter Marinelli. “We had some nerves and it was definitely apparent in the first couple of innings, but I think we had a lot to be proud of today even though it didn’t go our way.”
While the Pioneers did struggle to bring runs across the plate, this young team didn’t lose hope. Even when going into the final inning down eight points, the team remained confident and the players cheered their teammates on until the final out.
“There were a lot of positives about today’s performance,” said Marinelli. “We were getting our bats on the ball, and against a very talented pitcher for Newburyport, but they just weren’t dropping. I think we just need to continue to work on our defense and know where we need to go with the ball before it comes our way.”
Even though the score may reflect differently, the future is bright for the young Pioneers team according to Marinelli.
For a lot of these girls, this is their first varsity start, and to see them not be afraid of the big moment, Marinelli praised their efforts.
“It was great to see a lot of these young girls get their first at-bats and hits at the varsity level,” said Marinelli. “We just need to tighten up a few things, and I think we’re going to be a tough team.”
Lynnfield (0-1) is set to play Triton on the road on Monday (3:45).
