Red Hots Rule Weekend Tourney

Playing six games over two days, the Holliston U10 girls softball team won the "Power in a Ponytail" tournament in Natick this past weekend.

Nicknamed the "Red Hots," the Holliston girls won all three of their games on Sunday, defeating the host Natick Rage, 10-5, in the title game. In doing so, the Red Hots avenged a 12-4 loss to the Rage on Saturday.

Holliston jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning and kept Natick at a safe distance thanks to the combined effort of pitchers Michaela Campbell, Kaleigh Powers-Lagos and Grace Roberto. Campbell pitched the first inning (the starting pitcher is the only pitcher that can re-enter the game) before closing out the game in the sixth.

Kaleigh Powers-Lagos pitched the second inning, while Roberto worked the third and fourth innings to earn the victory. Holliston held an 8-4 lead in the fourth inning before tacking on two more insurance runs.

"I have been coaching softball for many years now and I have never been so proud to coach such a great group of young ladies," said coach Jim Werner. "These girls had only one team practice before the tournament and they played like a team that has been together for years."

The Red Hots struggled on the first day, going 1-2 to fall to the fourth seed in the six-team tourney. After the eight-run loss to the Rage in the tourney opener, Holliston administered a 15-1 pounding to Tanner Pride. The Red Hots then dropped a 6-2 decision to the Marlborough Diamond Cats 6-2 in the last game of the afternoon.

In the first game of Sunday's single-elimination round, Holliston claimed a 3-2, extra-inning win over the fifth-seeded Tanner Pride. Campbell tossed a complete game to win the pitching duel, while Maggie Martin had the game-winning hit in the seventh, driving in Tess Powers-Lagos.

The game was marked by solid defensive play, especially in the seventh inning as Holliston made two great plays in the field in addition to throwing out a Pride runner attempting to steal third base.

In Game 2, the Red Hots knocked off the top-seeded Marlborough Diamond Cats, 6-2, in their first payback victory of the tourney. Roberto pitched four strong innings before Campbell tossed the last two for the win. Roberto, Abby Wells, Caroline Werner, Maggie Martin and Gabby Cummins knocked in runs to provide the offensive firepower and secure a berth in the title game.

"Every single one of the girls contributed to the team winning the tournament," said Werner. "It says a lot about them to have the guts and fortitude to go 1-2 on Saturday and then have to win back-to-back to back games to win the championship."