PHOTO BY SPENSER HASAK
Katie Terban smiles as she trots home after her two-run home run.
By GORDON VINCENT
PEABODY – With two outs and the go-ahead run on base in the top of the seventh, St. Mary’s slugger Katie Terban asked coach Paige Licata if she ought to bunt and take Bishop Fenwick’s defense by surprise.
It’s a good thing she swung away.
Terban’s two-run line drive home run to left through a pounding wind proved to be the difference as the Spartans’ softball team defeated the Crusaders, 5-3, on Saturday at Slade Softball Field at the McHugh-Farley Athletic Complex.
“Katie is one of our senior leaders and we have a great deal of confidence in her,” Licata said. “It was a good time for her to come through.”
Michaela Hamill picked up the win for the Spartans (6-1) with three innings of relief behind Mia Nowicki. Licata opted to use her top pitchers in advance of a rematch between the two teams on Monday at Breed Field.
While she allowed just one earned run, Alexcea Glynos absorbed a tough loss for the Crusaders (3-5), who committed six errors.
“She (Glynos) pitched well, but we made too many mistakes in the field behind her,” said Fenwick coach Paul Lyman. “You can’t do that and expect to beat a good team.”
The Crusaders got a two-run homer from Lucianna Mastromatteo to deep left field in the first inning, and tied the game with an unearned run in the fifth. Freshman Jaxson Nadeau had a pair of hits and scored a run for Fenwick. Rachel Fisher added a pair of singles.
St. Mary’s scored three runs in the top of the second despite only hitting the ball once out of the infield. Francesca Simon drew a one-out walk and went to second when Emily Stephenson’s blooper fell into shallow right field. Casey Fraher followed with a bunt to Glynos. But her throw to first was high. It allowed Simon to score and the other two runners to advance into scoring position.
Ashley Wojewodzic laid down another bunt that died in the dirt in front of the plate. Fisher’s throw was high, and Natalie Mellen, pinch-running for Stephenson, and Fraher scored.
Glynos led off the fifth with a wind-blown line drive that caromed off Nowicki’s glove in left field. After a sacrifice bunt, Courtney Norton hit a ground ball to Vanessa Vanbuskirk at shortstop. Vanbuskirk alertly caught pinch-runner Allie Giguere too far off the bag at second. But Fraher’s throw to third in the ensuing rundown hit Giguere in the back and she was safe. Hannah Hollow followed with a bunt to Terban at third. Her only play was at the plate, but Giguere beat the throw to tie the game.
Glynos retired the first two batters in the top of the seventh before Vanbuskirk reached on an error by Fenwick shortstop Mikayla Porcaro, who otherwise had a brilliant day in the field. That kept the inning alive for Terban’s clutch home run.
Fenwick put brought the tying run to the plate when Nadeau singled to center with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. But Hamill induced Hollow to foul out to the catcher to end the game.