U12 Girls Claim Softball Title

Claims Services International (CSI) claimed the top spot in the Newtown Softball U12 House League with key plays on defense along with patience and power at the plate, earning a 15-14 win over New England Bounce About (NEBA) this past week. 

Sydney Flint, Sarah Spillane and Ashley Gong handled the pitching duties for the CSI Penguins with Cassidy Keller, Jenna Carvalho and Kelsey Nicholson behind the plate. CSI trailed by four after the first inning but rallied in the second to tie the game at five apiece. The team was led by Jackie Sgobbo’s hard hit double to left and Caitlyn Linden’s single to right, driving in three runs.

NEBA came back in the third with four runs to take the lead 9-5. Tina DeMaio made a great catch in center field to limit the runs NEBA put on the board.

CSI’s Sydney Flint singled into left field and Carvalho doubled, driving in two runs. Three batters later, DeMaio hit a rocket to center field driving in two runs capping off a five run third inning to pull CSI ahead 10-9 going into the fourth.

NEBA tied the game at 10 with shutdown pitching by Lauren Wilcox and a run in the bottom of the fourth. CSI broke it open in the fifth with a leadoff single by Hanna Bigwarfe, followed with walks by Carvalho, Cassidy Keller, and Mee Mee Filan. With bases loaded, DeMaio delivered another hard hit single to the outfield, driving in two runs. Sgobbo also brought in a run with a single of her own and put the CSI Penguins on top 15-10.

NEBA came charging back in the bottom of the fifth. With one out and bases loaded, Lauren Wilcox crushed the ball into the gap in right field, just out of the reach of Bigwarfe for a grand slam home run. Sydney Flint then struck out two of the next three batters to get CSI out of the fifth inning with a one run advantage.

In the top of the sixth, NEBA held CSI scoreless to keep it a one run game. Sydney Flint took the mound to close out the game for CSI, striking out the first batter and walking the second. With the tying run on first, Flint gloved a hard-hit ball to the mound to get the out at first. Bigwarfe then tagged the runner on first, who thought the ball was caught in the air for a double play, to end the game.

Wilcox and Emily Bell had terrific pitching performances for NEBA. Claire Hull contributed to NEBA’s offense with a long double to left field.  Grace Frost, Casey Muckell Haley Ryan, and Shannon Lynch all had key hits to keep the score close. Second basemen Muckell and shortstop Sara Mawdsley teamed up with a beautiful double play in the fourth inning.