Standout senior pitcher Melissa Sprague overpowered the Pinkerton Academy Lady Astros in leading the Londonderry High softball squad to a 2-0, season-opening victory over that rival at LHS this past Monday, April 13.
The Lady Lancers’ pitching ace struck out 17 Pinkerton batters and only allowed the Derry team one hit in helping her crew start the new campaign at 1-0.
The academy crew’s lone hit was an infield single by catcher Lauren Phillips to begin the second inning, but Sprague wound up striking out the side in that frame as well as in the third inning, the fifth, and the seventh en route to her 17-strikeout effort.
“They just couldn’t hit,” said LHS veteran coach Wayne MacDougall. “Their pitcher did an adequate job against us, but Melissa was great.”
The host Lady Lancers managed a modest six hits against Pinkerton hurler Ashley Walalis and scored single runs in the first and second innings to snare the 2-0 victory. But MacDougall was left a tad concerned about the fact that his charges were so limited offensively.
“You’re living right when you win 2-0, and I don’t think we had more than three hits in a row,” said the coach. “We’ve got to hit better.”
Londonderry couldn’t possibly have found a better day to have pitcher Sprague pile up the strikeouts and keep the softball out of the air, because a heavy wind coming in from center field played havoc with the ball when it went airborne, and the fielders were challenged.
The hosts plated the only run they’d wind up needing to win the season-opener when leadoff batter and lone returning Londonderry starter Summer Vose – who reached base all three times she batted – led off the bottom of the first with an infield hit.
She was bunted over to second base by Justine McElman, advanced to third on a ground-out up the middle, and scored on a balk by PA hurler Walalis.
The Lancers snared an insurance run in the latter half of the second when Anna Maggio drew a one-out walk, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and sprinted home on a sacrifice fly to right field by Casey Humes.
Vose wound up being the only Londonderry player to smack out multiple hits, finishing with a pair of singles.
The team was schedlued to play Spaulding High School at home on Wednesday, April 15, then travel to Winnacunnet High on Friday, April 17.