RallyNorth.net

Amesbury flexes its muscles against Newburyport

Thursday, April, 17 By Evan Mugford
Staff writer

There is no debate.

The Amesbury Indians softball team has been the absolute cream of the crop in the River Rival region and Cape Ann League in the last five years.

Since 2004, Amesbury has posted records of 22-1, 23-0 (2005), 20-3 (2006) and 18-4 (2007). The Indians' nearly unbeatable quality appears to have carried over to 2008.

The Indians hosted a struggling Newburyport (1-3) squad yesterday at the Amesbury Middle School, and the outcome wasn't favorable for Newburyport.

Amesbury won 18-1 in 5 <1/2> innings, prompting the umpires to enact the 15-run mercy rule. From hitting and pitching, to base-running and defense, the Indians imposed their will on the Clippers in nearly every conceivable way.

The team in red didn't waste time putting runs on the board as Newburyport's Ashley Rowe's woes occurred early and often, as she was tagged for three runs in the first and then five in the second. The bottom of the second was a veritable batting explosion for Amesbury, which capitalized on the five-run rally with back-to-back home runs from Katelyn Bartley (2 for 3, 2-run HR, double, 4 RBIs) and Kelsey Fournier (4 for 4, triple, HR, 4 RBIs), the latter of which just missed out on the cycle.

Gobbling up pitch after pitch, the monstrous Amesbury slugging percentage trudged onward, collecting six more runs in the third and then another four in the fourth. Again it was a masterful effort from the likes of Abby Pare (3 for 3, 2-run HR, 2 RBIs, 2 stolen bases), Kate Hathaway (4 for 4, double, 2 RBIs, stolen base), Gabrielle Magnifico (3 for 4, 3 RBIs), and Jackie Webber (2 for 4, 2 RBIs) that proved to be too much Amesbury artillery.

Newburyport briefly found its offensive touch in the top of the fourth, when a Lindsey Tomasz triple and a Rachel Webster single finally put the Clippers on the board. Two more hits by Taylor Summit and Rowe proved fruitless as Amesbury pitcher Jordan Oliva (3 Ks, 2 BBs, 5 hits, 1 ER) helped strand any thoughts of a miracle comeback.

The Newburyport spirit never seemed to quell, and even when their shouts and cheers softened, a chatter of optimistic rally cheers could still be heard. Much credit should be given to the Clippers who stood graciously in defeat.    

So far this season, the Indians have lost once to reigning Cape Ann League champion North Andover, 6-4, squeaked by Triton, 1-0, decisively beat Pentucket, 5-0, and pounded out a win against Andover, 10-3. With such a variety of outcomes, this win against Newburyport may be as high as the winning spectrum soars for the Indians.

Even coach Amesbury Chris Perry knows that games like this don't come very often.

"We were just hitting everything. Hard." said Perry. "It's just one of those things.

"I reminded the girls not to count on any more games like this," stated Perry. "We have Rockport up next who has a very good pitcher, and we're looking forward to that game."

Senior infielder Pare, who had a two-run blast in the bottom of the third, was pleased with her team's win.

"The win feels good, very good. Especially since it was against Newburyport," said Pare. "I thought we played awesome. We came out early and that's what we need to do every game.

"We've been working on hitting a lot lately," explained Pare. "In the past we've been known more as a defensive team, but it seems like we're evening it out this year. We're aiming to be CAL champs and we're looking to go as far as we possibly can."

Between Oliva's pitching, the lineup's recent hitting, and some tight infield defense, any team in the state would have had a difficult time with Amesbury yesterday.