(Byfield MA) “We showed up to play,” said Newburyport senior Cali Caponigro.
And show up they did.
The Clippers (8-5) had everything going as they took a, 13-0, mercy-rule win over Triton on Thursday afternoon.
The way this game went was a surprise. Back in May, the Clippers held on for an, 11-10, victory against the same Vikings.
Today, Newburyport grabbed the lead immediately, had terrific pitching (Emily Meleedy), and made the plays in the field.
Triton (6-6) just couldn’t match up on this afternoon.
Emily limited the Vikings to their fewest hits of the season (two) while striking out eight batters.
“Their pitcher was terrific,” said Triton coach Alan Noyes.
The Clippers scored early and in five of the six innings played.
“We started off strong today and that really helped,” said Emily Meleedy.
An infield error prolonged the first inning. Grace Habib singled in the first run and Emma Keefe doubled in two more sending Newburyport off to a quick, 3-0, lead.
The Clippers were ahead, 4-0, before Triton had their first hit (Liv Kiricoples) in the third inning.
The visitors gained serious separation in the fourth inning adding a four-spot to their run total.
As in the first inning, the Triton trouble started after two outs. Nieve Morrissey and Maddie McLeod each drove in a run while Emily Meleedy’s double to left brought two Clippers home.
That moved the lead to, 8-0.
The Newburyport defense also had a good afternoon.
Centerfielder Nieve Morrissey made the play of the game in the Triton fourth IMO. Nieve came running to the rescue when an infield popup near second base looked to be falling in.
“Nieve’s catch was amazing,” said shortstop Emma Keefe afterwards. “She’s a fast one.”
The Vikings did get a runner to third (Liv Kiricoples) in the fifth inning with one out. However, Emily Meleedy escaped damage with a strikeout and an infield grounder handled by 3B Cali Caponigro.
The Clippers had thirteen hits. Emily Meleedy had three, while teammates Nieve Morrissey, Cali Caponigro, Emma Keefe, and Sophie Lavallee had two each.
Emma Keefe had four RBI while Grace Habib and Emily Meleedy had two each.
“Our bats showed up today,” said Cali Caponigro. “I’m really proud of our team.”
Coach Bob Gillespie: “They came out ready to go. We put up three right away in the first inning. Emily (Meleedy) pitched great. We thumped the ball all day long. Anytime we beat Triton it’s a great day in Newburyport.”
“Give Newburyport credit,” said Coach Noyes, “they swung the bats and made the plays.”
Coach Noyes: “We lost Izzie (Reiniger) yesterday and didn’t have time to move bodies around to adjust to it.”
Natalie Indingaro had the second Triton hit.
Coach Noyes: “Grace (Romine) was fine today. We just made too many errors behind her.”
Coach Gillespie: “We had a tough game yesterday against North Reading but that’s old news. We’re as happy as can be with this win.”
Emily Meleedy didn’t walk anyone. “I threw in a couple of different pitches today,” she explained. “I’ve got a good team behind me.”
Triton will face undefeated Amesbury on Saturday. It’s a little difficult to figure out how good the Indians are defensively because of all the strikeouts Alana Delisle and Liv DeLong have been getting.
The weather was cooler than it’s been and there were no complaints.
(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)
McClelland Miscellanea 