Berkshire Force 14s Rally to Win Dalton CRA Title
DALTON, Mass. – Just when the Berkshire Force 14-and-under softball team needed a lift, Isabella Williams delivered.
Williams reached on a bunt single in the bottom of the fifth to ignite a five-run rally and send the Force on to a 12-7 win over the Lake Champlain Brewers in the title game of the Dalton CRA Invitational on Saturday.
The Force went to the bottom of what was likely to be the game’s last inning due to time constraints – if it scored – coming off top of the fifth when an error helped the Brewers score four times to tie the game, 7-7.
Williams, who also walked three times in her four plate appearances, laid down a beauty and raced to first to put the leadoff runner on for the Force.
“That was huge for us,” Force Brian MacDonald said. “We didn’t bunt too much that game, so I don’t think they were expecting it. She put a perfect one down after a few failed attempts throughout the game.
“And she’s got wheels, and she used them. And then everybody else did their job.”
Four of the next five batters reached safely for the Force to extend the rally and give the travel program its second championship of the Dalton CRA tourney.
Across town at Chamberlain Park, the Force’s 12-and-under squad defeated the NC Chaos to emerge victorious from a six-team field in that age group.
Just three teams entered the 14U division.
They played a round-robin that started on Friday night and concluded on Saturday morning. The Force emerged as the top seed after its 10:30 a.m. game at Pine Grove Park, which allowed MacDonald’s team to sit out while Lake Champlain and Dalton battled it out in a semi-final on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s summer time, it gets hot, we play in the heat all the time, but it definitely was uncomfortable,” MacDonald said. “The girls grinded through it. It was nice to have a midday break, so we could all jump in the pool, get in the air-conditioning, stuff like that.
“The other two teams had to battle it out. So lucky us this time.”
The Brewers rode the momentum of their semi-final win to take the early lead in the title game.
Lake Champlain used a leadoff single to start a three-run rally in the top of the second. The first of three Force errors in the game helped the Brewers grab the advantage.
The Force struck back in the bottom of the frame, scoring two runs on just one hit, a Lilly MacDonald single.
Kylie Duhamel, Addison Parese, Harper Keay and Williams each worked a walk during the rally, which ended on a fly ball to right with the bases loaded and the Force down, 3-2.
An RBI single by Jianna Kruger tied the game in the bottom of the third, and the Force scored four times in the fourth to build a 7-3 lead.
Again, most of the damage came from walks, though Cicily Roy singled and scored during the four-run rally.
Keay, who got the start in the circle, ran into some trouble in the top of the fifth.
She left the game after 4 and one-third innings with seven strikeouts but did not factor into the decision.
Evelyn Juliano moved to the circle from shortstop to finish the top of the fifth with a pair of strikeouts and get the Force to the bottom of the frame with the score tied.
The Force, which scored its first seven runs on just three hits, pounded out five hits in the decisive fifth inning.
After Williams got things started, Roy (2-for-4) drove her in with an extra-base hit. Grace Julieano then drove in Roy with a single to left to make it 9-7.
Evelyn Juliano reached on a fielders’ choice that erased Grace. And after Evelyn stole second, she came home on Duahmel’s RBI single up the middle. MacDonald singled to drive in Duhamel with the fifth hit of the rally and eventually scored on Kruger’s third RBI of the game to make it 12-7.
“That was a battle for sure,” Brian MacDonald said. “We decided to turn something on. There was a switch, and they hit it.”
Dalton CRA Softball Tournament photos here.
Day 2 of Dalton CRA Softball Tournament photos here.
Championship Game photos here.
