Sports
Somerville Storm Softball Team's Struggles Continue
Somerville loses a friendly against Newton after being officially forced to forfeit.
If so inclined, one might say the Newton Panthers softball team triumphed twice Thursday night. And Somerville lost twice.
Newton officially won via forfeit because the Somerville Storm lacked the necessary players.
The two teams decided to play a friendly scrimmage anyway, and the Newton Panthers were victorious, 5-0. It was all part of American Softball Association MiddleEssex League action at Albermarle Field in Newton.
“They weren’t really on their ‘A’ game today because it was a scrimmage and so it takes a little of the challenge out,” said Panthers coach Jim Doolin. “We’ve beat this team before pretty handily. So we tried to challenge them on each at bat and in the field individually.”
With the victory, Newton improves to 12-1. Meanwhile, the season for Somerville has been one plagued with forfeits, but that hasn’t diminished the players' enthusiasm for the game.
“They played hard,” Storm interim coach Anthony Auciello said about the team’s performance. “They’ve played hard all season. They don’t like to give up. They made the trip out, so they wanted to play.”
Unfortunately for the Storm, they faced off against Panther hurler Clare Doolin, who pitched three commanding innings, striking out five batters and surrendering only two hits.
While Doolin kept Somerville’s bats quiet, her teammates provided the run support. In the first, Kelsey Greeley singled up the middle scoring two runs. Meg Lyons-Dunckel reached home plate the next frame on a Lydia O’Connor ground ball to first base and the Panthers led 3-0.
Newton added another tally in the third stanza on a Zoe Cassidy RBI single and would score one more run in the fourth for good measure.
The Storm's best scoring opportunity arrived in the fourth as Ashley Auciello walked to load the bases with only one out. But Panthers relief pitcher Bethany Schubert managed to induce two straight ground balls to exit without any damage.
“Bethany, who came in to pitch second, hasn’t pitched all year,” said Doolin. “She pitched very well.”
