MONTAGUE, Mass. – The Pittsfield softball team cruised into the seventh inning of Thursday’s Western Massachusetts Class B with a six-run lead over Hampshire Regional.
The Raiders made things interesting, but Amanda Pou and the Generals closed the door to come away with a 6-2 win, a six-game winning streak and some new hardware for the trophy case on East Street.
“It was a little stressful,” Pou said of the seventh inning. “But, honestly, I trust my defense. And we put up a few runs before that last inning.”
Pou was named the most valuable player of the regional final after striking out four and walking none in a complete-game effort in the circle. She also ripped a two-run double in Pittsfield’s four-run fourth-inning rally to break open a scoreless game.
“Amanda has just completely commanded the circle,” Pittsfield coach Brian MacDonald said. “She has really reeled in some of her pitches that she was working on.
“I think she’s college ready. She’s ready to rock and roll. She’s going to carry us as far as we could possibly go as long as our defense stays on and those bats stay hot.”
Hampshire’s Ryanne Dubay limited damage from Pittsfield’s bats in the first three innings, allowing three hits but stranding four runners to keep it a scoreless game.
In the top of the fourth, Pittsfield’s defense made a couple of big plays after the leadoff hitter singled up the middle with the heart of the lineup due at the plate.
Pou got the Raiders’ cleanup hitter to ground to the left side, and Pittsfield third baseman Neveah Lopez started a 5-4-3 double play to clear the bases. Kam Renata then tracked down a fly ball in center field to get the Generals back in the dugout.
“Definitely, that double play really took the wind out of their sails and kept us going on a high note,” MacDonald said. “Our defense has had its ups and downs. We did struggle a little bit there in that last inning, but we played six phenomenal innings on defense.”
Pittsfield rode the momentum of the big defensive inning in the top of the fourth, posting its best offensive frame in the bottom of the fourth.
“It was huge to do that [in the field] and then come out and score so heavily as we did,” MacDonald said.
A Hampshire error allowed Renata to reach to start the inning.
She went to second on a passed ball and scored on Gionnah Levardi’s one-out single to left to make it 1-0.
Levardi went to third when Ella Bassi reached on an infield single and scored when Natalie Arold reached on a fielder’s choice.
Another fielder’s choice put Arnold on second and Mia Arpante at first with two out for Pou.
And Pou crushed a double to left center that scored both runners and gave the Generals a 4-0 lead.
Pittsfield used hits from its Nos. 7 and 8 hitters to get the rally going, the 6-7-8 spots in the lineup went a combined 6-for-8 in the game – typical for a team with 10 players hitting over .300 this spring.
“I don’t think we have a girl who can’t hit, which is a blessing,” MacDonald said. “Honestly, to be able to know I can trust my lineup, 1 through 10, 1 through 11, wherever I put anybody, it’s just a good feeling to know as a coach everybody is going to go in that box and do their job.”
The fifth inning saw another defensive highlight and two more Pittsfield runs.
In the top of the inning, Renata came in and made a diving catch on a sinking line drive for the first out.
In the bottom, Levardi hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Isabella MacDonald, and Bassi singled to right to drive in Mia DeJesus to make it 6-0.
After Dubay pitched around a Pou single and a walk in the bottom of the sixth, Hampshire finally got to Pou in the top of the seventh.
Three straight singles loaded the bases to start the inning.
A ground ball and a Dubay single to left put two runs across and two runners on with one out.
Pou then finished the game by getting two straight groundballs to the left side of the infield, the last a putout from shortstop MacDonald to Arnold at first to start the celebration.
Pittsfield (18-3) gets very little time to revel in this tournament win. On Friday, the Generals get ready for their next tournament, carrying the No. 3 seed into the Division 4 State Tourney, where they open at home on Saturday against No. 30 Hamilton-Wenham, a 9-4 winner over Nantucket in the preliminary round on Thursday.