OA Softball Takes Pivotal Game Against Stoughton

The Oliver Ames softball team defeated Stoughton, 5-3 Monday afternoon to take a critical divisional match-up.

With the win, the Tigers improved to .500 with a 7-7 record and moved into the Davenport Division drivers seat as the season winds down.

Coach Lindsey Allison's Tigers didn't make it easy on themselves, though.

"There’s something about this team," she said. "They love to play with the bases loaded. They love to bat with two strikes. It’s just great to know that if their backs are against the wall they’re not going to give up."

Stoughton, which dropped to 6-9 overall and fell into a tie with Sharon for second place in the division, stranded the bases loaded twice in the game: once in the fourth and once in the sixth.

The Black Knights scored twice in the fourth, thanks to singles and runs scored by Jordan Angelos and Michelle Brisbee and RBI's from Emily Cramer and Samantha Mattie. In the 6th, Stoughton only came away with one run on a Nicole Barton RBI single - despite loading the bases with one out.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game and we needed to play solid defense and have some offensive output, and our defense let us down and we didn’t do enough offensively," Stoughton coach Janet Sullivan said. "Oliver Ames is a good team. They got some good hits. They did what they needed to do and we left too many kids on base."

Oliver Ames was led by pitcher Elizabeth Batsinelas, who pitched 7 innings, striking out 6, walking 2 and allowing 3 runs on 6 hits.

"She keeps us in the game the whole time," Allison said. "Even if she has a couple of walks she doesn’t let it take over her completely. She can get her composure back and get it done. She’s been very solid for us this year and very reliable."

For Stoughton, Emily Cramer pitched 7 innings and allowed 5 runs on 10 hits. She struck out 4 and walked 5.

Most of Stoughton's troubles came from the top of OA's lineup.

Leadoff hitter Lexi Soucie went 3-4, including an RBI double in the fifth inning. 3-hitter Arianna Scurti went 3-4 with 2 RBI's and 2-hitter Erin Lynch propeled the Tigers during a 4th inning rally on a bunt that produced an errant throw and scored two. Haley Allen also chipped in for the Tigers, going 2-3 and scoring twice.

The Tigers look to stay in the Davenport drivers seat against 5-7 Sharon Tuesday.

"We're thinking about beating the next team that’s on our list," Allison said.

At 6-9  and with Sharon, Attleboro and Canton remaining, Stoughton still has an opportunity to make the South Sectional tournament. With the Hockomock League split into two divisions, the top two teams from each division will make the tourney.

"We're making it a lot harder on ourselves," Sullivan said.