EASTHAMPTON — Tied 2-2 in extra innings, the Easthampton softball team found itself with a runner on first base with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning in Monday night’s game against Northampton.
Lily Foster climbed into the box and swung and missed at three pitches in a row, with the third being a wild pitch that allowed the sophomore to reach base safely. The pitch getting all the way to the backstop allowed the Eagles’ other baserunner to reach third, putting runners on the corners with one out.
Looking to walk things off, Summer Routhier took a deep breath before digging her feet into the dirt of the right-handed batter’s box. The junior connected on a pitch she liked, sending it into right field. The fly ball was caught, with the runner on third tagging up and heading for home.
With the throw in coming from deep in the outfield grass, it came in too late, giving Easthampton a walk-off, 3-2 victory on a sacrifice fly.
“To beat a team like Northampton means a lot to us,” Eagles head coach Joseph Roy said. “It gets our mojo going, our energy going, because for us to advance, we have to start winning.”
Routhier finished with a pair of hits on top of her game-winning RBI in the eighth inning at the plate, but her real success came in the pitcher’s circle.
Throwing all eight innings for Easthampton, the junior struck out 10 batters, only allowing one earned run. Routhier looked confident throughout the contest, even working through a few jams where she forced the Blue Devils to leave runners on base.
“[Routhier’s] our go-to player,” Roy said. “She wanted to make everything happen for us. If she’s on, I think we have an opportunity to win the game… We demand a lot from her… She’s our captain, our team leader. She’s the one that sets the tone for all of us.”
On the other side, Northampton also got a great performance out of its starting pitcher in the competitive duel. Emily Kajka threw 7.2 innings from the circle, striking out 15 of the 39 total batters she faced.
The eighth grader had great stuff going all night long, allowing just one earned run on eight hits in the loss.
“[Kajka] didn’t get rattled; she was confident the whole way through, and even when she was behind on the count, she fought,” Blue Devils head coach Chase Every-Giroux said. “And that was exactly what we need from a pitcher in the circle, so her confidence definitely shone through today.”
At the plate, Northampton was led by Greta Lepore with two hits and two stolen bases and Alex Van Stee, who tallied the team’s lone RBI, finishing her night 1-for-2 with a pair of walks as well.
These two teams matched up with one another in the first game of the season, back on Friday, March 27. The Blue Devils dominated the first battle, winning 10-3 in large part due to consistent offense across the board that was less effective in the second go around.
“I think in the first game, we really jumped out and had a great offensive game,” Every-Giroux said. “I think we were able to swing some hits together, but we weren’t able to bring them all the way home [on Monday].”
The extra innings loss puts Northampton’s record at 5-4 on the year, taking the field again on Wednesday, April 22, at 3:30 p.m. at home to host Monson.
With the win, Easthampton improves to 4-6 this season, back on the diamond on Wednesday, April 22, at 4 p.m. on the road at West Springfield.
“This game could have gone either way,” Roy said. “But I’m pleased with the outcome of the game. I am really pleased. [The Blue Devils are] a good team [with] two very good pitchers, and to come out with a win against them, I can’t complain. I really can’t complain.”
