Big First Inning Carries Rams Past Lyman Hall

Ali Giannone hit a first-inning, three-run home run and the Cheshire softball team
added four runs late to wrap up a 7-1 victory over Lyman Hall in a Southern Connecticut Conference Housatonic Division game Friday at Cheshire High.

The win gives Cheshire (12-5, 5-3 Housatonic) a share of the division title with Sheehan and Amity. The Rams have qualified for the CIAC Class LL tournament but have yet to learn if they have made it into the SCC Tournament, in which eight teams qualify.

In the first, cleanup hitter Giannone hit a 3-2 pitch to deep left-center to score
Bryanna MacIntosh and Anna Marcucilli, who had each singled, for a 3-0 lead.

"We were all just trying to put the ball in play, get on base and score the runs,"
Giannone said. "That's what I did I guess."

Cheshire dropped the first game with Lyman Hall 2-0 on April 27 and Trojans starter Lauren Zambrano took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Zambrano struck out eight Friday, but allowed 10 hits and two big innings as the Rams scored four
in the sixth.

"There was a sense of urgency coming into this last (Housatonic) game," Cheshire
coach Maureen DiSorbo said. "The tempo, the attitude. We were just up and ready for this game. We were looking to be aggressive. Zambrano's been a nemesis for us these last four years. She's been very dominant in the Housy and SCC all together. So this was a game we were pumping up for, getting ready to hit this pitching.

"We didn't want to be embarrassed again, especially on our home field with Zambrano pitching a no-hitter. She's a great pitcher and we were ready for her today."

After the three-run first, Zambrano pitched four scoreless innings over which she
gave up two hits. But in the sixth, Giannone (2-for-4, three RBI) started things with a basehit to center and Alexa DiLeo (2-for-3) doubled her home one out later.

Cheshire then loaded the bases when pinch-hitter Kierstyn Bourdeau walked and Brittany Orcutt reached on a fielder's choice on which all the base runners were safe. One out later, leadoff hitter Caroline Kushner (2-for-4) delivered with a two-run base hit and MacIntosh (2-for-4) followed with a run scoring single to make it 7-1.

Starter Orcutt (3-3) put runners on base in every inning but only gave up the one run on an error in the sixth inning and scattered six hits. Catcher Marcucilli picked off a runner on third in the first to end the inning. Giannone made a stellar play at third to strand a runner on second in the second.

Orcutt stranded two more in the third with an inning-ending strikeout. She got three outs after allowing runners on first and second in the fourth and started a
double play with the bases loaded, pitcher to catcher to first, in the sixth that ended a potentially big inning for the Trojans.

"We were heads up when we needed to be in our bunt defense in terms of executing
defensive plays, but we did put ourselves in some situations that we didn't need to be in," said DiSorbo, whose team made three errors. "At this point of the year that's something that can't happen. It's something we focused on in our meeting. Just to reflect on what needs to improve from today's game.

"Offensively we were dominating. I was very pleased with our offense. But defensively, we put ourselves in some tough situations that could have potentially burned us. We handled the bunt defense well and we were able to get out of some sticky situations."

For Lyman Hall it was a matter of leaving too many runners on base, eight for the
game. Nicole Rosa had two hits for the Trojans (7-10, 2-6) but their only run came on a throwing error.

"We didn't execute the plays and get runners to score," Lyman Hall coach Alexis
Rossi Nacca said. "Didn't get those hits when we needed them."