Published in the April 21, 2016 edition
OUT AT FIRST. Hornet second baseman Carly Swartz covers first on his play and records the putout. (Bob Turosz Photo)
By BOB TUROSZ
NORTH READING — The Lady Hornets varsity softball team dropped their first game of the season on Patriots Day, a tough 6 to 3 road loss to the Tewksbury Redmen. The team’s record dropped to 3 and 1 as they embarked on a trip to Triton on Wednesday.
Starting pitcher Julia Perrone took her first loss of the season, going six innings and throwing 87 pitches, 66 for strikes. Hornet RBIs came off the bats of Taylor Connor, Sarah Sabella and Cassandra Pascucci. All together the Hornets had eight hits but committed and uncharacteristic three errors in the field.
Pentucket pounded, 12–3
The Pentucket Sachems came to town on Friday and endured a 12–3 drubbing from Hornet bats as North Reading pounded 15 hits off two Sachem pitchers.
North Reading scored in every inning except the first. Their biggest uprising came in the third, when North Reading plated five runs.
Taylor Connor led off with a home run over the left field fence, followed by Guiliana Peppe, who smashed a double. A bunt single by Carly Swartz sent Peppe to third and on the next pitch Swartz stole second. Peppe scored on a sacrifice by Abby Paine, Swartz taking third base. Perrone was then hit by a pitch, putting runners at the corners for North Reading. The Hornets then pulled a double steal and and while courtesy runner Courtney Luker was out at second, Swartz scored from third base easily. Tara Driver walked and went to second on a single by Cassidy Gaeta. A wild pitch advanced both runners and a double by Cassandra Pascucci scored two runs. The rest of the game was pretty much the same for the Sachems.
Meanwhile, Hornet hurler Perrone held Pentucket to seven hits on 117 pitches, two–thirds of them for strikes. Tara Driver also contributed a home run, Paine, Peppe and Pascucci all had doubles and Swartz stole three bases.
Hornets 14, Newburyport 0
Perrone and Pascucci split the pitching duties in last Wednesday’s 14–0 beat down of Newburyport, a game that went only five innings because of the lopsided score. Perrone went three innings for the win, throwing 42 pitches and Pascucci needed only 19 over two frames. North Reading had 14 hits and scored in every inning but the third. Really, the game was out of reach after the second inning, when North Reading led, 9 to 0.
Perrone threw 74 percent of her pitches for strikes and Pascucci threw 63 percent. Pascucci also homered. Carly Swartz, Tara Driver, (2) and Guiliana Peppe all had doubles. Pascucci had an impressive 6 runs batted in, while Swartz had 3, Gaeta had 2 and Paine, Peppe and Perrone had one each.
The girls will be home again on Friday, to take on the Lynnfield Pioneers at the Little School field. Starting time is 10 a.m.
