Ludlowe Softball Completes Rain-Delayed 7-1 Win Over Staples

It started with a perfect inning from Ludlowe pitcher Becky Foster on Tuesday and ended a little over 24 hours later with a diving stop and throw to first from second baseman Elise Perazzini.

The Falcons' softball team completed a 7-1 victory over Staples in a CIAC Class LL first-round contest that was suspended on Tuesday due to rain.

Ludlowe (15-6) advanced to play at No. 6 seed Glastonbury (17-3) in the second round on Thursday afternoon at 4.

The game was picked up in the top of the third inning on Wednesday at Sturges Park after two separate lightning storms forced the game to be delayed twice Tuesday.

"Having the game split over two days was tough, and Staples has always been a tough team, so beating a tough team feels good," Foster said.

Foster was able to pitch out of trouble twice in the game. First in the third inning, Staples had a runner on second base with one out, before Foster struck out Courtney Garzone and Nicole Bukovsky to end the inning.

The Wreckers again threatened in the fourth when freshman Margaret Mills reached third on a double and a stolen base with no outs, before Foster got the next three hitters to fly out.

After allowing only one run and pitching a complete game the,  senior pitcher was the talk among the coaches after the game.

"We knew if Becky (Foster) could stay sharp,  we would be successful," Ludlowe interim head coach Tony Samuelian said. "(Foster) is experienced and knows what she has to do. We just have to slow her down. We were up and wanted to conserve her energy because of the heat. "

Her pitching certainly impressed Staples coach Mark Giordano, who team concluded the season at 9-10.

"Foster is a very solid player," he said.  

The Falcons jumped on the scoreboard first in the second inning with an RBI single from Perazzini, which scored Rachel Ehrlich. That was all the scoring before the game was suspended.

Ludlowe picked up right where it left off in the third inning by scoring four runs.  Foster delivered an RBI double to help her cause, freshman Emily Nelson ripped an RBI triple, Kirsten Guerrero added a sacrifice fly and Ehrlich smacked a home run to make it 5-0.  

 Jesslyn Lammert's RBI in the fourth made it 6-0 Ludlowe before Staples was finally able to get on the board in the sixth inning on an RBI single from Alexandra Masiello.

The final run of the game came on an RBI single by Ehrlich, her second of the day, in the bottom of the sixth. The Falcons then started looking ahead to their next opponent

Ludlowe travels to take on Glastonbury Thursday at 4 pm.

"I'm looking forward to playing a team not in our league, and getting some new experience from different competition," Foster said.

" It will be a good game, we just can't make any defensive mistakes," Samuelian said