Laurel Williams finds a way to get around the tag and score the tying run in the bottom of the seventh for the Lady Panthers Tuesday in Southbury. Williams went on to score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to lead Pomperaug to a 3-2 win over New Milford. (Ken Morse photo)
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By Ken Morse Special to the Middlebury Bee-Intelligencer
Softball may be played by girls but sometimes it’s not pretty. There are times when it gets downright ugly. That’s how it was when the Lady Panthers pulled out a victory Wednesday from the depths of despair, defeating New Milford 3-2 in extra innings.
Pomperaug junior right-hander Ashley Antonazzo did all she could do, gutting out nine innings in the pitcher’s circle, scattering eight hits and striking out 11 batters. But the defense didn’t do her any favors as their five errors in the field led to the Green Wave plating a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning.
However, this band of ball players somehow continues to find a way to win. Down to their final strike, the Lady Panthers somehow reached down and dragged a game out of the loss column and tucked it into their back pocket for an improbable victory.
That is just how the season is going for a team that never believes they are out of it. They were trailing 2-0 in their final at bat when Gillian Stiber worked out a lead-off walk. Brooke Anderson moved the runner into scoring position on a ground out.
Laurel Williams (three hits, two runs, one RBI) drilled a single over the second-base bag into center field with Stiber scoring on the play. Williams took second on the throw to the plate, and the tying run was just two bases away.
Kaitlin Flood stepped into the batter’s box with two outs and quickly fell behind with two strikes. One pitch away from defeat, Flood sent a single to center field as Williams rounded third base.
The throw to the plate arrived ahead of Williams, but she managed to avert the tag and slide past it, reaching out to touch the plate with the game-tying run. The game went to extra innings, and it became just a matter of time before Pomperaug would strike again.
“You don’t want to go up to the plate and over think the situation and end up popping the ball up,” said Williams. “You want to stay focused and make sure your hands come through the zone. That’s all I was looking to do, especially in the last couple of at bats with the game on the line.”
The opportunity came in the bottom of the ninth inning. Williams singled to left to get it started. Caley Ruggiero dropped a bunt to the left of the pitcher’s circle but an error on the throw had runners at second and third.
Sam Wisnefsky pushed a bunt up the right side, and beat it out for a hit as Williams raced across the plate with the winning run. Pomperaug improved to 14-3 on the season and is in line to match the 2014 Panthers 17-3 mark as the best record in the last 25 years.
“I just went up there trying to stay relaxed and get the job done,” said Wisnefsky. “But it wasn’t easy as I was pretty anxious. We made some errors that allowed them to score, but once it went to extra innings we made all the plays in the field.”
The Panthers showed their resolve last Thursday in a 7-3 rematch with Newtown, plating four runs in the seventh inning. Then Pomperaug started this week unloading on New Fairfield Monday in a 13-2 win.
Antonazzo surrendered just four hits and struck out six, but it was the Panthers’ offense that ruled the day. Pomperaug scored three runs in the third and finished it off, plating four runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to secure the win.
Annie Yacavone belted four hits, scored four runs and drove in three runs to lead the attack. Flood had four hits and scored three runs, with Annabella Pastorok and Wisnefsky driving in three runs each and Emily Ostar adding two hits.
Tuesday, the Panthers trailed Notre Dame of Fairfield by a 1-0 score after four innings before Pomperaug exploded with a five-run outburst in the fifth to put the game away.
Antonazzo closed the door on the Lancers, scattering five hits and striking out eight in the 7-3 victory. Flood did most of the damage, ripping a pair of two-run doubles to drive in four runs.
Williams continued with the hot bat, going four for four at the plate with two runs scored and one RBI. Ruggiero added a hit, an RBI and two runs scored while Ostar added two hits and a run.
“We made a lot of errors but it was fluky, like the ball was a hot potato at times,” said Pomperaug head coach Paul Masotto following the extra-inning win over New Milford. “But our kids have got heart and character. Very few teams can make five errors and still come out with the win. They don’t give in. Ashley pitched her heart out again, and now we get ready for three more tough opponents.”
Pomperaug is back in action today, Thursday, at Barlow and will return home next week to conclude the regular season with games Monday against Masuk and Tuesday against Immaculate. The South West Conference quarterfinal rounds will start Saturday, May 21, and the semifinals and finals will be played the following week at DeLuca Stadium in Stratford.
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