NORTHAMPTON — Abby Pelis squatted nervously behind home plate with Katelyn Labrie up to bat representing the tying run for Hampshire Regional.
Brie Bergeron stood on second for the Raiders after leading off the top of the seventh inning with a double, and Hannah Wodecki was at first after a single. There were two outs, both strikeout victims of Anna Kerwood.
Northampton held a three-run lead at the time, but it looked vulnerable.
“I get nervous a lot,” Pelis said. “But (Kerwood) is really good at keeping everyone calm.”
Kerwood induced a groundout to third base to finish the game and earn a 3-0 win Wednesday. She struck out four, allowed five hits and one walk.
“I wasn’t nervous. We’ve had tougher situations,” Kerwood said. “I was confident in everyone around me.”
She worked around at least one baserunner in four of the seven innings, but none reached third base. Kerwood and Pelis have worked together for four years as the Blue Devils’ battery.
“They call their own plays. The maturity of them as a battery is nice,” Northampton coach Andy Pelis said. “I go from having to call every pitch, telling them everywhere to go. This year I just sit on my bucket and let them go to work.”
The Blue Devils (5-0, 3-0 Valley Wheel) needed their poise. Northampton scored all three of its runs in the first inning. Kerwood opened with a one-out double, then Emilia Pelis hit a single that moved courtesy runner Emily Sledzieski to third. Abby Pelis drove in Sledzieski with a double, giving Northampton runners on second and third with one out.
“They were hitting that low pitch. We’re trying to work low and stay out of the strike zone, and they were all over that,” Hampshire coach Kevin Kavanaugh said. “They’re a great hitting team.”
Marissa Badorini struck out looking, bringing up Jill McGrath. She slapped a two-run single to right field to increase Northampton’s lead to 3-0.
“Our hitting has been what’s been pushing us over the edge this year, so it was important to get the bats going early,” Kerwood said. “They did die out in the end, so that made it even more important.”
Hampshire (2-1, 2-1) settled in defensively after the first inning. Emily Halket took the loss, but struck out three and allowed eight hits with a walk.
“I want to be aggressive. Had a couple plays where I went a little too aggressive,” Kavanaugh said.
Hampshire threatened in the third. Labrie opened with a single, then Amanda Cooper hit into a fielder’s choice. Katelyn Baker hit a single to push Cooper to second, bringing up Maggie Rubeck. She sent a ball to right field for a long out, and Cooper tagged up to try and advance. Northampton freshman right fielder Katelyn Ramdath lasered the ball to McGrath at third for the double play to end the inning.
“It was a relief, and it was cool that it came from our freshman,” Abby Pelis said.
That was the only time Hampshire put a runner in scoring position until the seventh. Kerwood worked around one walk in the fourth then retired six straight until Bergeron’s double to open the seventh.
“She never puts the ball over the plate, she’s got good movement,” Kavanaugh said. “They’re looking for a certain pitch, and she’s not putting it there.”
The victory carried extra meaning for Northampton’s seniors.
“It was a really big deal, especially because we’ve never (beaten Hampshire) before,” Abby Pelis said. “We were all excited that we could.”
Even in a 3-0 loss, Kavanaugh sees potential for his young team. The Raiders are starting four eighth-graders, and Kerwood was by far the best pitcher they’ve faced.
“They’re taking away a ton of information from this game,” he said. “To come out of here 3-0, that’s a good game.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com.