MHS Girls Softball Team Opens Season With Two Wins Against Island Rivals

The Middletown High School varsity girls softball team opened their 2011 season at home on Wednesday by defeating Rogers High School. That game saw the Islanders light up Rogers pitching for 11 total runs, while Middletown's starting pitcher Grace Eng pitched five shutout innings and earned the win in deciding fashion.

Middletown got things going offensively in the first when Nina Traglia scored on a single by Chelsea Dowler. The Islanders then had a 5-run second inning to all but close the door on Rogers. They added two more runs in the fourth inning and two more in the bottom of the fifth that gave them the 11-1 lead. The game was then called by way of the "mercy rule," a 10-run lead that ends the game. The Islanders bats were on fire all day and so was their pitching.

Grace Eng took the mound for the start against Rogers and started off strong. Rogers threatened in the third and fourth innings but it didn't amount to any runs, save for a passed ball thrown by Eng that led to Rogers' only run on the day. Eng went back to work and shut Rogers down the rest of the game.  

The Islanders ended the game in the fifth inning after scoring their 11th run of the day.  

Grace Eng ended up getting the shutout victory. Rogers hung tough all day, but the young Vikings team was simply outmatched and outplayed by the Islanders.

Chelsea Dowler, Nina Traglia, Lauren Paiva, and Brittany Lewis were among the Islanders who drove home runs for their team on Wednesday.

The final score of Wednesday's game was 11-1 with Middletown earning their first victory of the year in their first game of the year.

The Islanders took on Portsmouth at home on Thursday and it was a pitching duel to be certain.  

In the end, Nina Traglia drove home teammate Brittany Lewis for the game winning run.

The final score of the game against Portsmouth was 1-0.  

The Islanders come out of the gate in 2011 with a 2-0 start.  Their next game will be on Saturday, when they visit Barrington High.  

First pitch for Saturday's game is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Check back after the game and all season long to see how far they can go.

Head Coach Robin Ramey took some time to answer a few questions after the game on Wednesday:

Patch: Coach what are your thoughts on if a win or a loss in the first game of the year has a positive or negative impact on your team?  Do you think it sets a tone for the year?

Ramey: "I don't think it matters either way. I think that winning of course is important, but if we had lost I don't think it would impact the team all that much. There's a lot of ebb and flow during the year and whether you win or lose there's always lessons to be learned either way."

Patch: The wind was absolutely brutal today, for both teams. How do you think the girls did as far as not letting the the biting wind affect their play on the field?

Ramey: "I'm really proud of them. They executed all their signs. No one got down. They played a great overall game. They hit with confidence. I couldn't be prouder of them, considering the tornado we played in (laughs)."

Patch: Grace Eng essentially pitched a shutout today, the only run for Rogers coming on a past ball by her.  She (Grace) seemed dialed-in all day. The team had a laser focus at the plate, you score eleven runs, the game gets called by way of the mercy rule.  What if anything, do you think you need to work on for the upcoming game against Portsmouth and the season ahead?

Ramey: "I think one of the things we can work on and correct throughout the year is to make sure we don't get in our own way, meaning we don't get ahead of ourselves, and we don't think of this game as from here on out, we just have to show up to win. We need to make sure we play every game, every inning as if it's a zero-zero score. We live for every pitch, every 'at bat.' If I can get them to put this game in the books and refocus for every game. From here on I'll tell them our record is 0-0.  We need to focus on our next opponent."

Patch: You've got back-to-back games, with Portsmouth coming tomorrow, what do you think of their team and your team's chances against them?

Ramey: "Portsmouth is good. They've got some really good hitters on their team. Fortunately we've got some great starting pitching, so Brittany(Lewis) will take the mound tomorrow."