Home Is Where the Win Is

The softball team’s bats finally came to life. It was the Wildcats’ legs, however, that provided a spark – and the team’s first win of the year.

On Wednesday, Wilmington tallied four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 6-2 lead over Masconomet. Two of those runs crossed the plate on a one out wild pitch for the Wildcats, now 1-2 on the season.

“We talk about that all the time,” said assistant coach Walter Babcock. “I believe you win games on the bases. We have good speed, so you can’t run the bases tentatively. You always are thinking on or two bases ahead coming out of the box, so we focused on that big-time.”

Tori Lord started for Wilmington and fired a complete game for the win. Lord mixed her pitches well and pitched to contact, allowing her defense to make necessary plays.

In the previous games to start the year, the Wildcat defense struggled, so the win over Masco was a critical one.

One big defensive play came in the final inning. The first two Masco hitters reached base via hits, and the third laced a single to centerfield. One run crossed home plate to slice the deficit to 6-3, but catcher Caitlin McDonough shot down a runner at third base for the first out of the inning.

Lord settled down and finished off the game herself on an overcast April vacation morning.

“That was a really smart play on our part,” said Lord. “We needed that out at third.”

Babcock said his team struggled in its opening loss to North Andover and played well in a losing cause against Shawsheen Tech. In those two games, the team struck out a combined 18 times. 

“I think we only struck out four times this game,” said Babcock. “You have to put the ball in play. Once you put the ball in play and put a little pressure on the defense, things will happen and that’s the key.”