After starting its 2016 season by winning just one of its first seven contests, the Pinkerton Academy softball squad managed to get a bit warm last week in turning its fortunes around a tad.
The 1-6 Lady Astros mounted an impressive, very late comeback effort to defeat a Manchester opponent during the middle of the week, and then they bested the two-time defending Division I champions from Dover High to advance its season record to 3-6.
The Lady Astros ended a five-game losing skid in dramatic fashion Wednesday, April 27 by scoring eight runs in the top half of the seventh inning in tallying a 10-9, comeback victory over the host Manchester Central Little Green in the Queen City.
Central (3-4) led 3-0 after three innings, but PA got back to within a run by scoring twice in the top half of the fourth frame.
The hosts plated two more runs in the bottom of the fifth and then another three in the latter part of the sixth to go up 8-2. But the Lady Astros put up their eight-spot in the top of the seventh, with Abby Amato thumping a two-run homer and the rest of the offense refusing to take no for an answer as well.
Central hammered out 19 total hits and made the score 10-9 with a single run in the latter half of the seventh, but 10-9 was where the game score ended up.
The 2-6 locals had Makayla Bolduc smack three hits and drive in a run, Sigourney Lavoie lace two hits and drive in three runs, and Amato and Nicole Gonya each drive in two runs.
Carrie St. Peter gave her squad a good, steady performance with the offense finally coming to life with little time to spare.
“St. Peter pitched a strong game with eight strikeouts and no walks,” said coach Kristen Abbott. “Central can hit the ball, but plays were made and St. Peter did a good job with working the count.”
Then back at home against the two-time defending D-I champion Dover High Green Wave on Friday, April 29, the PA platoon tallied a 5-4 victory over that scuffling opponent to get a modest two-game winning streak of its own rolling.
The Green Wave began the scoring with a single run in the top of the first, but Pinkerton got that marker back in the bottom of the third to make the score 1-1.
Dover regained the lead at 2-1 by scoring a run in the top of the fourth, but the hosts responded by putting a four-spot on the scoreboard in the latter half of the fifth to collect a 5-2 advantage.
The Green Wave made a comeback bid late, but fell short in the end after scoring single runs in both the sixth and seventh frames.
“(Caitlin) Hogan, Amato, Gonya, and St. Peter were the leading hitters, helping to drive runs in,” said Abbott. “Carrie St. Peter hit a triple to score three runs with two outs in the fifth inning. Gonya had two huge hits that drove runs in in the third and fifth as well.”
The hosts bashed out a total of 12 hits while winning hurler St. Peter held the defending state champions to just half that number in this notable win
