PEABODY — The Peabody softball team showed no quit Wednesday, rallying back from a pair of 2-run holes to earn a 5-4 win over Saugus at Kiley Brothers Memorial School on the Tanners’ senior day.
“It was a defensive battle,” Peabody coach Tawny Palmieri said. “That’s why I tell the girls, ‘you have to play hard all seven innings because anything can happen.’ Especially in high school softball. We started hot and we went through a little lull there. We were down by two runs twice and we came out with a win which is good to see.”
It came down to which team would make the least mistakes, with the Tanners plating the tying and winning runs in the sixth inning thanks to a Saugus error.
Peabody’s Tianna Dawe threw all seven innings, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out eight. Dawe went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Janelle Richard (1-for-3, two RBI) and Gina Terrazzano (1-for-3, RBI, run) did the clutch hitting for Peabody. Emma Bloom, Kristina Rossignoll and Mackenzie Marmion each scored one run.
“Everybody played great,” Palmieri said. “We started hitting early in the game and then we went dry. But we came back and started hitting again, which is good. We never quit and I was proud of the girls for that.”
Saugus put together some clutch hitting in the third and sixth innings but the Sachems walked away feeling as though they let the game slip away.
“The kids played hard,” Saugus coach Steve Almquist said. “Peabody’s a real good team and they have a real good pitcher. It was a good game. It goes to show that when we play we can play with anybody. I’m proud of the way the kids played. We hit the ball well. We just let this one slip through our fingers.”
A bright spot for the Sachems was pitcher Leah Ventre in her first start. Ventre threw five and 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts.
“She pitched one inning this year before (Wednesday),” Almquist said. “She pitched a great game. She should’ve had that win, we were right there. We just didn’t make the plays. That’s what it boiled down to.”
Both teams missed out on chances in the first few innings. Peabody had a pair of runners thrown out stealing in the first inning while Saugus had a runner thrown out at the plate on a passed ball in the second.
An infield error and a walk got the Sachems started in the third. Caitlyn Wood (2-for-3, two RBI) drove in both runs with a 2-out single to put the Sachems ahead 2-0.
Bloom walked and Dawe singled to start the fourth. Later in the inning, Marmion drew another walk to load the bases and Richard laced a 2-run single to tie the game at 2-2.
Saugus answered in the sixth. Wood and Emma Howard (2-for-3 with one run scored) singled to lead the inning. Ashley Shaw laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners in scoring position for Alessia Salzillo, who laced a 2-run double to put Saugus back ahead 4-2.
But things turned south for Saugus in the bottom half. After a quick out, an infield error and a walk put runners on for Peabody. Wood relieved Ventre to try to get Saugus out of the jam, but Terrazzano knocked in a run with a single to cut Saugus’ lead to 4-3.
A routine fly ball hit by Makayla Iannalfo was dropped, scoring the tying and go-ahead runs for Peabody.
“We self destructed in that sixth inning,” Almquist said. “We got two runs, were up 4-2 and got the first out of the inning on defense. We should have had the second out and we didn’t make the routine play, things just got worse from there.”
With a 5-4 lead Dawe made quick work of the Sachems in the seventh, striking out one and forcing two ground outs to close the win.
Both teams are one game away from clinching a spot in the state tournament. Saugus (9-7) has a quick turnaround at Swampscott Thursday (4:45) while the Tanners (9-6) visit Central Catholic Friday (3:45).