Drury Rallies Past McCann Tech in Sixth

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Olivia Perry struck out 11 in the circle, and the Drury softball team rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth Friday to earn a 4-3 win over McCann Tech at Fran Millard Field.

 

The Blue Devils allowed two unearned runs in the top of the second and trailed, 5-0, going to the bottom of the fifth.

 

But Drury’s bats came alive late as the Devils stayed unbeaten at 7-0 this spring.

 

“We were really down the whole game,” Drury catcher and captain Brooke Bishop said. “Our heads were hanging. We came in with a lot of confidence from yesterday’s win [at Hoosac Valley].

 

“In the sixth inning, we came out, and I had a talk about how we’re just playing a game and got our spirits up.”

 

After Ariana Rivard reached on an error to open the bottom of the sixth, Bishop crushed a double to left field to put two runners in scoring position.

 

A Perry comebacker to the circle allowed McCann Tech pitcher Hannah Tatro to throw home to get the first out of the inning. Perry raced to second on the play to put the tying run back in scoring position.

 

Tatro got the second out on a swinging strike, but Marley Brothers, the hero of Thursday’s win in Adams, delivered again with a double to right field to plate Bishop and Perry and tie the game, 3-3.

 

Rachel Barrows then dropped a single into right to score Brothers and give Drury its first lead of the game.

 

Tatro stopped the bleeding with a strikeout to end the inning, and the Hornets went back to work on offense.

 

Miranda Ranzoni led off the top of the seventh with an infield single and moved into scoring position on Shaylee Lawson’s sacrifice bunt.

 

But Perry notched her 11th K of the afternoon for out No. 2, and Barrows at third base fielded a ground ball and threw to Brothers at first to end the game.

 

Drury coach Michelle Darling said she did think there was a little hangover for the Blue Devils in the second of back-to-back rivalry games.

 

“I think they were a little tired because of all the excitement and adrenaline they had against Hoosac,” Darling said. “But, like I said, we come in 0-0 and play and just work on line drives and trying to fix our little hitting glitches.”

 

Tatro (nine strikeouts, one walk) kept the Blue Devils’ offense off balance most of the afternoon. She allowed just two base runners through the first four innings.

 

“We had a game plan coming in with a couple of the Drury hitters, because I know the Bishop girl can really smack it,” McCann Tech coach Robin Finnegan said. “So we wanted to keep them low in the zone and make sure she worked the corners. Because she tends to come up a little bit, and if it’s eye level, that’s when it starts to get crushed. We found that out against Franklin Tech, and I know that Drury has some really good hitters on their team.”

 

McCann Tech’s offense, meanwhile, produced two runs in the top of the second.

 

Khloe Vanuni got it started with a one-out single. After Nora Kondel sacrificed her into scoring position, Paige Meyette drew a two-out walk.

 

A grounder off the bat of Courtney Kanelos was mishandled, allowing both Vanuni and Meyette to come home for a 2-0 Hornets lead.

 

In the fifth, Lawson reached on a two-out infield single, moved up on Emily Glasier’s hit and scored on Svea Lawson’s RBI single to left-center to make it 3-0.

 

Drury finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Brothers (2-for-3) hit a leadoff infield single, stole second and third and scored on a double by Kaley Bushika to cut the deficit to 3-1.

 

Although the Hornets slipped to 2-4 with their second straight loss, Finnegan was far from disappointed in her team’s performance.

 

“I don’t even care that we lost, because this is the best game that we’ve played this year,” Finnegan said. “We limited our mistakes. I’m so proud of this team.

 

“I’m missing a few starters. I’ve got a freshman playing center field, freshman catcher, freshman everywhere because of some injuries and things like that. And they kept their attitudes positive, sportsmanship, everything. I’m just so proud of them right now because I didn’t know what to expect because we were missing some players.

 

“These guys stepped up. I would have liked to have gotten the win, but to play an in-town rival in a game like that for the spectators, it was great.”

 

McCann Tech hosts Mount Everett on Monday.

 

Drury gets the Eagles on Tuesday at home.

 

Photos from this game here.