Mansfield Softball Beats OA 1-0 in Extra Innings

Mansfield girls varsity softball beat Oliver Ames on Thursday 1-0 in extra innings. Both pitchers battled during the game, letting a few hits go here and there but not allowing a run until the bottom of the ninth inning.

The game started off with three strikeouts in a row from Mansfield’s Trish Hansen. In all, she had 10 strikeouts during the game. OA’s Elizabeh Batsinelas had a total of seven strikeouts.

OA threatened early with a runner on third at the top of the second, but she was caught off guard by a throw from Mansfield’s catcher Kelly English after a pitch.

Mansfield was caught in a similar fashion in the next half inning, when a fly ball from Colleen LaRose was caught and sent back to first to get the runner out before she could go back.

OA coach Lindsey Allison said their main focus was to keep Mansfield’s Bri Chiusano off the bases, and the team managed succeed until the end of the game.

“We managed to keep off the bag all game,” she said. “We’ve been trying to work on spot defense all week, trying to create situations where we could get an out on any hit that she had.”

OA threatened again with runners on second and third at the bottom of the eighth inning, but the next two batters flew out.

“How about Trish [Hansen] pitching herself out of those spots,” Mansfield head coach Jinneane Sperrazza said. “It was unbelievable.”

At the bottom of the ninth, Mansfield’s Chiusano started off the cycle with the second walk of the game. Chiusano immediately used her blinding speed to steal second on the next pitch.

“I don’t think you can keep her off the base for the whole game,” Sperrazza said . “In the ninth inning when it counts a division one athlete gets up, she gets on, she steals second – she didn’t steal second from a chicken wing catcher either that kid [Nicole] LeBlanc

 can really throw the ball.”

Michaela Bowes moved her to third with a sacrificial bunt. Trish Hansen put a shot right down the middle to bring her home.

“It was a really good game,” Sperazza said.

OA’s Lindsay Allison said she feels like her team played really well, but couldn’t close the deal on their opportunities.

“We had a lot of left on bases,” she said. “Lots of opportunities to get it done we just couldn’t close the door unfortunately. I like to say that bats are contagioius and they made them contagious until third base. Something about that gate we couldn’t get through.”

Mansfield moves on to play Braintree tomorrow.