LEAD OFF HITTER Carly Swartz usually finds a way to get on base for the Hornets. (Bob Turosz Photo)
By BOB TUROSZ
NORTH READING – The varsity softball team bounced back from back–to–back road losses with a home field victory over the Ipswich Tigers, 7–3, at the Little School Field. The win improved the girls’ record to 5–2 in the Cape Ann League.
Julia Perrone was the winning pitcher, going all seven innings, throwing 94 pitches, 62 of them for strikes. The Hornets scored single runs in the first and second inning and put up crooked numbers – 3 runs in the third inning and 2 runs in the fifth on the strength of nine hits. Perrone helped her cause with a home run, while Sophia Warren, Carly Swartz, Taylor Connor and Cassidy Gaeta all whacked doubles.
Warren, Bryanne Riley, Swartz, Connor, Gaeta, Perrone and Tara Driver all had quality at bats.
SOPHOMORE CASSIDY GAETA whacks the first of her two home runs against Pentucket. (John Friberg Photo)
Rockport rules, 7 to 1
On April 29, the Hornets were out hit by Rockport, 7 to 1. The Hornets mustered only five hits, led by Cassidy Gaeta’s triple and had an uncharacteristic five errors in the field and left six runners on base. Pitcher Julia Perrone suffered the loss despite throwing 66 of her 90 pitches for strikes. Tara Driver had the Hornets only RBI.
Kendra Butner, Sophie Warren, Kelsey DeMild, Bryanne Riley, Carly Swartz, Taylor Connor, Cassidy Gaeta, Julia Perrone and Tara Driver all had quality at bats but Rockport’s attack was relentless, with 10 hits all together. North Reading trailed by only a run at the middle of the fifth inning but the Vikings broke the game open in the fifth with two runs and added three more in the bottom of the sixth.
Rally against Amesbury falls short
The Hornets showed a lot of character by rallying from and eight run deficit after four innings, fighting back against the Amesbury Indians on Friday. But the eight-run hole was a little too deep for North Reading to climb out of, as Amesbury won, 9-8 and improved to 8-0 on the year.
But the story of the game was North Reading’s furious comeback that put a real scare into Amesbury. North Reading scored one run in the fifth, three runs in the sixth and four runs in the top of the seventh inning but Amesbury scored what turned out to be the winning run in the sixth.
Kendra Butner, Sophie Warren, Bryanne Riley, Monica Ferrazzani, Carly Swartz, Taylor Connor, Cassidy Gaeta, Julia Perrone and Tara Driver all had quality at bats for the Hornets, who stranded three runners on base.
The Hornets traveled to Lynnfield to take on their archrivals, the Pioneers, on Wednesday afternoon after the Transcript’s deadline.
