LHS Softball Starts Fast, Finishes Off Watertown Early

There was no shortage of activity at on Tuesday afternoon. Between the baseball game, the track and field meet and the softball game – all against Watertown High School – the fields off Worthen Road were abuzz.

But perhaps no action could meet that of the softball contest between the Minutemen and Raiders. Lexington started fast and finished off Watertown early, earning a 12-0 mercy-rule shortened victory in five innings.

The Minutemen jumped on top from the start by scoring five runs in the first inning. They added six more in the third, and polished off the Middlesex League victory with one in the fifth when the umpires called it.

“This league’s a tough league, you never know what you’re going to get,” Lexington coach Frank Pagliuca said. “Watertown battled hard and they have a couple of good players. We got some hits and we got some runners on early and scored, which was great.”

For Lexington, Pagliuca said he hoped the big victory could serve as a spark. The Minutemen have been inconsistent this season, struggling to string wins together. The coach said the win over Watertown should show the Minutemen what they’re capable of.

“We’ve been up and down all year, so we needed a big game, a good confidence builder,” Pagliuca said. “We were opportunistic today and that was a good thing for us. Hopefully we can carry that over to (Wednesday) against Woburn.”

They wasted little time in getting on top, as 10 Minutemen came to the plate in the first inning. The first five reached before Watertown starter Mary Breen recorded an out – a popout to shortstop.

Third baseman Katy DelGreco and left fielder Katie Goodwin opened the game with a walk and a single. They both scored when second baseman Danielle DelGreco smacked a triple.

Designated player Erin Hanson scored DelGreco on a bunt single, and right fielder Joslyn Battite later drove in two runs with a double. She plated Hanson and first baseman Christine Barons, who reached with a double of her own.

By the time the dust settled, Lexington had scored six runs on five hits. Catcher Laura Whiteley had also reached base in the inning on a walk, one of two in the first and eight overall for Breen.

“That was huge,” Pagliuca said. “You have to get on teams right away. I thought we put the ball in play in the first inning and got some timely hits and drove in some runs.”

Breen and Watertown settled down and kept Lexington off the scoreboard in the second, but the Minutemen wouldn’t stay down for long. They added six more in the third to all but put the game away with an 11-0 advantage.

Again Lexington batted around the order, this time sending 12 girls to the plate. The Minutemen opened the inning with two walks and three straight singles, all RBI base hits by Katy DelGreco, Goodwin and Danielle DelGreco.

Shortstop Jackie Oram plated two more runs to make it 10-0 and Whiteley forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk, the third of her four free passes on the afternoon.

Watertown coach Jed Swift said the big innings are something the Raiders have struggled with all season.

“Our first inning has historically been a problem all season,” he said. “Today, I think we played very passively (in the first inning).”

Katy DelGreco’s RBI single to score Whiteley served as the decisive blow in the fifth inning.

Things weren’t much better for Watertown at the plate, mostly due to the dazzling pitching of Lexington pitcher Maddie Orcutt, a freshman making her first career varsity start.

She retired the first five Raiders she faced before allowing a solid single to Watertown right fielder Emma Scavo in the second inning. That would be the lone baserunner Orcutt would allow.

Overall, she pitched all five innings with eight strikeouts and allowed just two balls to leave the infield, Scavo’s single and a flyout to center field by Raiders left fielder Erica Kelly in the fourth inning.

“That’s what we need, good pitching, no errors today and got a solid outing all around,” Pagliuca said.

Lexington will try to keep the momentum going against Woburn High School on Wednesday. The Tanners and their 6-3 overall record should give the Minutemen a little more competition.