Lenox Rallies Late to Top Taconic
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – For the second time this season, the Lenox softball team rallied late to edge Taconic.
After a 14-13 win on their own home field in the first week of the season, the Millionaires earned a 10-8 win on Tuesday on Kevin Harrington Field.
Cassidy Flynn (2-for-4) drove in three runs on offense and settled down after a rough start to strike out five in a complete-game effort in the circle as Lenox won its third straight.
Lenox trailed much of the afternoon after the Thunder responded to a four-run top of the first with five runs of its own in the bottom of the frame.
It was an 8-7 Taconic lead going to the seventh, when Lenox rallied for three runs. Flynn then recorded her second straight 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win.
“It’s been tough because we had two weeks with no games,” Lenox coach Amy Pires said of her team, which went from April 14 to April 26 with no contests. “There’s only so much you can do. We had girls away, so it’s not like we could try to scrimmage in any way. So it was nice to get into the swing of things with our [3-0 win over Monument Mountain] yesterday and another [win] today.
“I’m glad [Flynn] got into her groove sooner rather than later.”
Taconic got four hits, including RBI singles from Gi’Annah Moses and Toni Ahoussie (2-for-3), in its first-inning rally to go ahead, 5-4.
A two-run single from Jianna Kruger in the third put the Thunder ahead, 7-6.
And after Lenox tied it in the top of the fifth thanks to Amaya Alger’s leadoff double and Makirara Jackson’s RBI groundout, Taconic took the lead right back.
The Thunder’s Madison Barber (3-for-4) hit a one-out single and eventually scored on Ahoussie’s second hit of the day to put Taconic on top, 8-7, going to the sixth.
Thunder pitcher Abby Bliss got off to a rocky start like Flynn. But just like Flynn, Bliss was able to recover, holding the Millionaires to three runs and three scoreless innings from the second through the sixth.
“She threw a good game,” Taconic coach Bree Goddard said. “That’s one thing all the girls said [in the postgame huddle]: ‘Great job.’ We just need to back her up.”
Bliss started the top of the seventh with a strikeout but the second half of Lenox’s lineup reached base four straight times to get the winning rally going.
First, Lexi Witherell singled to left. Then Markiara Jackson (2-for-3, double) worked a walk. Layla Soules’ single down the third-base line loaded the bases, and an infield single from Indigo Stine tied the game, 8-8.
That brought up the top of Lenox’s lineup, and Evelyn Julieano, who walked three times, got an infield single to send Jackson home. Her sister Grace Julieano then hit a sacrifice fly to center field. The Thunder doubled a runner off the basepaths on the play, but Soules scored first to give her team a two-run cushion.
“We were patient, and we got some bloopers in,” Pires said. “Even some of our eighth-graders got on with a fielder’s choice, so I’m very happy for them.”
Eight different Millionaires had at least a hit in the win. Lilly MacDonald and Soules each had a pair of singles.
Lenox (6-2) continues a busy week on Wednesday when it goes to Hopkins Academy.
Taconic (3-8) hosts Westfield on Thursday.
Photos from this game to come.