Staples Softball Falls To Trinity Catholic, 3-2

The Staples varsity softball team fell, 3- 2, to Trinity Catholic on Friday night, costing the Lady Wreckers a spot in the FCIAC tournament.

The Crusaders  established a 3-0 lead in the first inning on Lisa Barden's bases-clearing triple.

 Though Staples senior captain Jenny Johnston, who struck out nine,  pitched six scoreless thereafter, the damage had been done.

"We tend to have rough first innings," Johnston said. "I don't know if it's because we're nervous or something, but after we have a hard first inning we seem to cruise through the rest of the game.

"There's a lot of emotion flowing through everyone's veins in a game like this, all I can do is throw hard and try my best."

After Johnston struck out the side in the top of the sixth, the Lady Wreckers (9-9, 9-9) seemed to build off her momentum.

 Courtney Garzone put Staples on the board with an RBI triple in the bottom of the sixth, then scored on an infield single by Jen Frusciante.

 "The first inning has been our headache, " Staples coach Mark Giordano said. "We've  had trouble getting things started this season. But these girls come to play every game, and you've got to hand it to them, they do not give up."

 With Alex Masiello on base in the bottom of the seventh and the top of the order coming up, the Lady Wreckers appeared poised to send the game into extra innings.

 Crusader pitcher Tina Boehn, however, got two groundouts and her ninth strikeout to end the game.

"Personally, I erase the runners on the bases in my mind when I'm focusing on pitching," Boehn said. "It's just me and the batter and whether we're up by a lot or if it's a close game I just go for the out."