Daily Archives: April 11, 2012

(Newburyport) You know that things haven’t gone well in a softball game for one team when the topic of conversation after the game is the Mercy Rule.

And it was Newburyport (1-1) on the wrong side of the Mercy Rule as they were wiped out, 16-4, by North Reading (3-0) in a rule-shortened, 5 ½ inning game at Cashman Park on Wednesday afternoon.

As it was the game should have ended during the top of the 6th instead of after it because the Hornets had reached the 12-run margin necessary during the inning to be awarded the win.

And believe me, this was a game worthy of being ended early.  The Clippers are a good team but on this day……not so good.  The Hornets were a very good team on this day.

The only (?) positive takeaway for Newburyport from this one was their hitting in the bottom of the fifth.  The Clippers needed four runs to extend the game and they got them.  The key hit was a long triple by sophomore Victoria Allman that drove in two of the four runs.

Winning pitcher Terri Ferrazzani (CAL All-Leaguer) yielded just five hits and had eight strikeouts during her five innings of work.  The junior threw heat and didn’t walk anyone.

And while Terri shut out the Clippers during the first four innings, the Hornets hit the servings of Molly Rowe and Victoria Allman hard.  North Reading rolled up twelve runs on thirteen hits during the first four.  The Clipper defense struggled with the difficult plays as well as several routine chances and gave NR way too many bonus at-bats.

There were plenty of heroes for North Reading. Here is what their first six batters did:
Shelby Carney – single/double/stolen base/four runs scored.
Tarah Reilly – double/stolen base/two runs scored.
Merri Moise – two singles/triple/two runs scored.
Alicia McCauley – two singles/run scored.
Terri Ferrazzani – four singles/stolen base/run scored.
Courtney Brosnan – three singles/run scored.

Lower in their order Jess Eisenhaure had a triple, double, and scored a run.

You get the point……the NR girls, on this day, hit ropes, lasers, and rockets and jammed the bases!  Another day, who knows?

This was a nonleague game so there will be a regular season game (April 30th at North Reading) between the two teams.

Freshman Carley Siemasko had Newburyport’s first hit with two out in the third inning.

North Reading was 14-9 last year and reached the D2 North semi-finals.

Junior Terri Ferrazzani tossed a one-hitter against Triton on Monday with 12 K’s.

The Hornets play at Ipswich on Friday afternoon.

Newburyport hopes to recover against Masco at home on Friday.

The wind was not a factor on this sunny afternoon with temperatures in the 50s.

North Reading boxscore

Newburyport boxscore

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge if you click on them.)