Enfield Girls Hang On to Edge East Windsor, 16-14

After scoring just four runs in a season-opening loss Wednesday, the Enfield High School softball team came out swinging the bats Friday.

Katie Levasseur had three hits and knocked in five runs, and Taylor Maier collected four RBI as the Raiders held on to defeat East Windsor, 16-14.

A seven-run third inning gave Enfield a nine-run advantage, and the Raiders survived a furious six-run East Windsor rally in the seventh inning to cling to the victory.

Control problems on the mound hurt the Panthers, as starting pitcher Briana Matteson and reliever Julia Matteson combined to issue 12 walks.

East Windsor was playing its third game in as many days, including a 10-inning 1-0 victory over Windham Tech Thursday. "Briana pitched seven innings Wednesday against Granby, and 10 yesterday against Windham Tech," coach Karen Drake said. "She was definitely tired."

The Panthers grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning, on a run-scoring grounder by Melody Alford and an RBI single by Allison Rodrigue. Enfield came back with one in the bottom of the first, when Nicole Meunier reached on an infield error and scored on an outfield error after a hard line drive by Levasseur.

Kayla Hersom scored on an error in the second to restore East Windsor's two-run advantage, but the Raiders came back with four of their own to take a 5-3 lead. Dallas Fonck scored on a wild pitch, a bases-loaded walk to Levasseur plated Sam Wages, and Meunier and Anne Nguyen came home on Maier's two-run single to right-center.

Fonck retired the side in order in the third, then Enfield capitalized on wildness by both Mattesons to open up a 12-3 lead. The inning featured just two hits, four walks and two hit batters, highlighted by consecutive run-scoring singles by Nguyen and Levasseur.

Levasseur crushed a three-run double to left-center in the fourth to give Enfield a 15-3 margin, but East Windsor began chipping away with four runs in the fifth. Rodrigue had an RBI single, Melissa Wabble's infield out brought home another run, and Nicole Elliott belted a two-run double.

The Panthers tallied another run in the sixth on a double by Hersom and an infield out by Ashley Marino, but Enfield got it right back on a sacrifice fly by Maier.

Trailing 16-8, East Windsor launched a valiant effort in the final frame. Singles by Alford and Rodrigue and a walk to Wabble loaded the bases, and Alford scored on a fielder's choice grounder by Elliott. After Rodrigue was forced out at the plate on Maggie Karwowski's grounder, a walk to Megan Murray plated Wabble. Hersom lined out to Fonck for the second out, but Elliott then scored on a wild pitch. Briana Matteson beat out an infield single to score Karwowski, and Murray came around on an overthrow. A passed ball plated Matteson, and walks to Alford and Rodrigue re-loaded the bases and put the potential tying run in scoring position. Fonck bore down, however, retiring Wabble on a line drive to Levasseur at first base to end the comeback.

"We didn't give up, we came back nice at the end and started to hit," Drake said.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Enfield coach Albina Belisle said, "We hit the ball better, especially since Matteson was tired. We adjusted to the slower pitches. I'm glad we got our first win early."

Enfield (1-1) gets right back on the field Saturday morning, hosting Coventry at 11 a.m. East Windsor (1-2) entertains Bolton Tuesday at 3:45 p.m.