Concord-Carlisle Softball Earns First Win of Season Against Westford Academy

The Patriots’ softball team held onto a six-run lead finishing out the fifth inning against Westford Academy (0-4) at home on Thursday. And while WA nabbed two runs in the top of the sixth, the game closed out with Concord-Carlisle High School earning the 6-2 victory.

C-C (1-1) opened its season with a 10-5 home loss to Reading Memorial High School on Monday. But the Patriots’ second game was much better, according to coach Lisa McGloin.

“They had better sense today where they were going with the ball,” McGloin said. “They showed more confidence in the field defensively than they did on Monday. (We) still have small things, a lot of small things we got to improve on, but they showed a lot more defensive poise, which is nice.”

Junior Margaret Perko put the Pats on the board in the first inning, scoring from second base, which she stole, on senior Anna Kokos’ double into center field.

Once again with one out, this time in the second inning, sophomore Belle Hanky scored a run for C-C. She reached base when the ball just tipped the third baseman’s glove and came close to a catch, but Hanky got the single. Freshman Allie Colleran then hit a single past second to put Hanky on second base and senior Monica Diercks followed with a single to drive in the run.

In the third, C-C added four more runs, putting it ahead 6-0.

Freshman Angela DeBruzzi blasted a triple that just snuck up the right-field line, allowing Kokos to score from first. Then, senior Haley Yang hit a double into left field, bringing DeBruzzi across the plate.

“(DeBruzzi’s) a young player,” McGloin said. “We switched her bat right before the game today. We’ve been working a lot on her hitting and she’s really showing a lot of poise at the plate. She did that on Monday as well.”

Colleran then hit the team’s second triple of the night, just up the third-base line, scoring Yang. And Diercks’ single into left field got the Patriots’ sixth run, which Colleran scored.

But in the top of the sixth, Westford Academy added two runs to cut into C-C’s lead.

Shannon Donahue scored the first run from second base off Amy Livorsi’s single bunt. Then with Livorsi on first and Ali DiFonzo on third, with one out, Rachel Desrochers’ popup brought DiFonzo home.

Desrochers’ hit was caught for the second out and Katie Perrone got the third, ending the top of the sixth with a score of 6-2.

Kayleigh Culhane, who replaced Christine Raymond in the fifth, pitched a scoreless sixth inning for Westford Academy. And in the top of the seventh, Westford wasn’t able to capitalize against Galen Kerr, ending the game. Kerr pitched all seven innings for C-C.

“She was not as good as she was on Monday,” McGloin said of Kerr’s performance. “She was having control issues all day, but she fought through it, which was nice.”

Two of Kerr’s pitches hit two players – Sage Riddick in the elbow during the third and Juliana Viscione in the hand during the final inning.

“I don’t think it shakes her up at all,” said McGloin. “I just think she had some control, serious control issues. She was having a hard time, I don’t think she was getting in a good balance position early enough. So she had some mechanical stuff most of the game.”

Next up, Concord-Carlisle plays at Acton-Boxborough, a team that is fiercely competitive with CCHS. That game is scheduled for April 20.

McGloin said, “It should be a big game.”