(Groveland) “Molly (LeBel) pitched an excellent game,” said Pentucket coach Deb Smith afterwards.
The stats confirm the assessment: 15 strikeouts, four-hitter, two walks.
Pentucket defeated Georgetown, 11-1, on Monday afternoon.
“This was our first win, and we needed that,” added Coach Smith.
Pentucket (1-3) now has something to build on.
Meanwhile, Georgetown (0-6) continues to chase that first W with a very young team. How young? Today they started six middle schoolers with the Royals only run today driven in by a seventh grader!
Pentucket took control of this game in the first inning collecting five runs.
“We have been focusing on hitting,” said Coach Smith. “Today it paid off.” Pentucket had eleven hits.
Five of Pentucket’s hits were in their productive first inning when Pentucket sent up ten batters. Nikki Mitchell, Emma Lopata, Meg Hamel, Kayla Murphy, and Julia Daley all singled for the home team.
Georgetown coach Jay Santomassino thought that his team could have done better in the first inning. “We needed to make a play or two to limit the runs they scored,” said Coach Santomassino.
“We were much better defensively after that inning, but it was too late for us,” Coach Santomassino added.
Nikki Mitchell (3 rbi, 3 hits, 2 runs), Emma Lopata (3 rbi, 2 hits, 1 run), and Kayla Murphy (1 rbi, 3 hits, 1 run) put up the big numbers in the Pentucket offense.
“We’ve been working hard in practice to get better,” said senior Emma Lopata post-game.
While the hitting of Pentucket was very good, the pitching of freshman Molly LeBel was “very strong,” according to her coach.
“I was just trying to get it done out there,” said Molly afterwards.
Again, the stats confirm how successful she was. This game went the full seven innings and Molly had at least one strikeout in each inning.
Innings four, five, and six were special. Molly retired nine straight and eight of the outs were K’s. “She was hitting her spots,” said Coach Smith.
While the Royals struggled to make contact, Pentucket started adding runs. Emma Lopata drove in a run in the second on a fielder’s choice and two in the fourth on a loud double to left. Freshman Kayla Murphy tripled in the third inning and scored on a wild pitch. Nikki Mitchell knocked in two runs in the fifth inning with a single.
The Pentucket bats were good, and their pitching was excellent. Two things that will put a team into a good position to win a game.
The Royals (four hits) made solid contact in the seventh. Gillian Figueroa rapped a double to left and McKenzie Riley followed with an RBI single to right.
Windy at Groveland Pines with temperatures falling as the game went on.
Amesbury players were watching today’s action.
Pentucket seniors Emma Lopata (UMass Amherst) and Meg Hamel (Union) have settled on colleges.
Georgetown 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 = 1
Pentucket 5 1 1 2 2 2 – = 11
(The pictures will enlarge.)
McClelland Miscellanea 