FOXBOROUGH — Controversial calls are part of the game. Sometimes, a call goes in your favor, and sometimes, it doesn’t.
For the No. 11 St. Mary’s softball team, Thursday’s call went the other way during a 1-0 loss to No. 6 Foxborough in the Division 3 Round of 16.
After giving up a home run to Foxborough’s Natalia Leach in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Spartans had a chance to respond in the next frame.
With the bases loaded, and one out, Abbey Sousa hit a deep fly ball to the left-field fence. Unsure if the ball would be caught, Chloe Celona — who was on third base — touched the bag to tag up, then hesitated, uncertain whether to go. After being waved home, she crossed home plate as the St. Mary’s faithful cheered, believing the game was tied, 1-1.
However, after a lengthy discussion, the umpires reversed the call and ruled that Celona never properly tagged up, resulting in a double play that ended the inning.
“What makes me upset is that our kid then gets up to bat and the umpire apologizes to her. What does that mean? Why are you apologizing to the runner that you called out, that you didn’t see because you relied on the partner who was looking at the kid at second?” said St. Mary’s Coach Colleen Newbury. “They said she never went back to the base – even though she did. She tagged, then looked back and hesitated, wasn’t sure if we wanted her to go, but we told her to go — and she did. He probably saw the intermediate part, but she had already tagged.”
Defensively, the Spartans were sharp. Aliza Crean-Oviedo started and pitched four innings, allowing six hits and one earned run while striking out three. In relief, Adyson Newhall threw two innings, allowing two hits and striking out two.
“They pitched a 1-0 game. Was it a mistake or did she hit a good ball [on the home run]? I don’t know, but either way, she got it,” Newbury said. “If you’re going to lose 1-0, you’d rather it be from that. Defensively, we played great, but so did they. We had a couple of missed opportunities, but they played well and I’m so proud of them.”
Offensively, the Spartans managed just two hits: singles from Ryleigh Williams and Angelina Owumi.
“We had a couple of miscues, but offensively, we needed to execute better,” Newbury said. “We just needed a better approach at the plate, or to execute a bunt when needed, which didn’t happen.”
While the loss marked the end of St. Mary’s season, there were still positive moments, including the return of senior Brooke Moloney, who entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning. The UMass Amherst commit tore her ACL last fall and missed most of this season.
“I made sure Brooke got a chance to play today, since she couldn’t play all year,” Newbury said.
Newbury praised her other seniors, who have been with her since she returned to coach the program.
“Roma (Braid) was hurt the last week-and-a-half, but was able to play, which was good because our pitching staff needed her catching,” Newbury said. “Chloe Celona was out in left field. She played here and there during the year, but she became a great player late for us. She started doing great things in practice and was an all-around great player.
“Lucie Pelletier didn’t get in the game today, but she had knee surgery her sophomore and junior years and made it back to play this year – she’s just a great teammate. Ryleigh Williams, at first base, played great today — I was just waiting for her to crack one.”
Foxborough takes on Apponequet Regional in the Round of 8 (TBD).
