Granby Memorial High Softball Stays Perfect With 4-0 Victory over SMSA

Another game, another shutout for the softball team, which defeated Sports and Medical Sciences Academy 4-0 in an NCCC clash on Wednesday afternoon on Senior Day.

The victory was the Bears’ 18th straight against no losses and the seventh in which they have held their opponents scoreless.

Granby senior pitcher Neve Stearns was her usual brilliant self, allowing two hits and two walks over seven innings, while striking out 10 to earn the victory. It was not the Bears’ finest game of the year, according to head coach Vicki Malone, who still was proud of her team nonetheless for the effort it put forth.

“I thought we were flat today after [the 1-0 victory over] Suffield,” Malone said. “I think coming off Monday’s win, trying to keep them motivated after we won the conference … we were flat. They still made good plays, Neve pitched herself out of jams. We still got big hits.”

SMSA pitcher Brittany Fiederlein was nearly Stearns’ equal, working her way through three straight scoreless innings before an unlucky break on a freakish play in the fourth allowed the Bears’ first run to cross the plate.

After Granby’s Sam Groskritz doubled with one out in the fourth, Amy Bilodeau hit a blooper into shallow center field. SMSA shortstop Alison Mosdale appeared to have a bead on the ball before colliding with the field umpire, allowing the ball to drop safely onto the grass for a hit, sending pinch runner Gabby Stahl to third.

Ellie Bourque followed by hitting into a fielder’s choice, scoring Stahl.

The Bears’ put the game out of reach, however, in the fifth with three runs, as 23 led off with a walk, followed by consecutive singles by Emily Martel and Morgan Malone to load the bases. Haley Makuch drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, followed by RBI singles by Erin Walsh and Groskritz to make the game 4-0.

Still, despite the loss, SMSA head coach R.J. Toner didn’t sound like someone disappointed with his team’s performance.

“We have a young team and we have five freshmen out there,” Toner said of the Tigers, who fell to 10-7 on the year. “They’re growing into their own. All these coaches tell me how they don’t want to play me next year. My concern isn’t about next year. It’s about right now. We qualified for the tournament for the first time in school history this year. We can play with teams. We’ve proven that this year. … They don’t know how to win yet, but they know how to compete.”

As for the Bears, their time is now - which means challenging for the state Class M title.

“I think we can be very special,” Malone said. “I don’t think we’ve met our potential. We haven’t hit solidly 1 through 9 all year. … If we ever come up big 1 through 9, it’s going to be phenomenal.”

Bears Say Goodbye to Five Players

After the game, Malone and the team members bade an emotional farewell to five seniors: Shalyse Bickford, Sam Arnone, Meg Schultheis, Makuch and Stearns.