Springside softballers bow to Bears

by TOM UTESCHER

How many legions of softball teams have wished, in the wake of a loss, that they could surgically remove just half-an-inning from the scorebook?

Whatever the number, Springside School added to it last Friday following a 21-11 setback at Baldwin School. It was around 6:00 PM when the ten-run-lead rule finally ended the contest in the home half of the fifth, but Springside’s problems extended back to the bottom of the second, when 13 runs cascaded across the plate for the host Bears.

The Lions had been leading 5-0 in the middle of the inning, but they never recovered from this outburst by Baldwin, falling to 0-3 in Girls Inter-Ac play while the Bears picked up their first league win for a 1-2 tally. Springside’s Delia Langan (2K, 6BB, 19H) and Baldwin’s Zarah Iqbal (7K, 8BB, 9H) went the distance on the pitcher’s mound for their respective squads.

Hahna Kane’s infield single to the left side was the only Springside hit in the top of the first, but the Lions benefited from five walks and several wild pitches and passed balls as they scored three runs in the frame. With two outs in the top of the second, Marilyn McCullough was hit by a pitch, and when she tried to steal second she was able to come all the way home as Baldwin threw the ball around wildly. A walk, a single by Jackie Bergey, and an error loaded the bases with Lions, and then a run was forced home as another errant pitch struck Lua O’Brien.

A nightmarish (for Springside) home half followed. Baldwin almost batted around twice as lead-off hitter Marissa Riley put the ball in play for a pair of faux grand-slams. First, a single to center became a round-tripper as the ball caromed off the outfielder, and the second time Springside added a base to a legitimate triple by Riley. Three more runs in the Bears’ next batting turn made it 16-5 going into the fourth.

Hits by McCullough, Langan, and Emily Bilger and walks to O’Brien, Karyn Kesselring, and Rachel Frank netted Springside four runs at the top of the fourth, and Baldwin got one back on the flip side for a 17-9 count.

The Lions scored their last two in the top of the fifth. Langan got on with an infield single and came home on a double by Bilger over the head of the left fielder. Bilger stole ahead to third base, setting up O’Brien’s RBI single between third and short. Four Baldwin runs in the bottom of the inning brought the ten-run-lead rule into effect to end the game, with the coup de grace coming on a sacrifice bunt by Adriana Massara.