By Chris Paul
The Londonderry High School Softball team was riding an undefeated, six-game winning streak to start the 2022 season, but dropped their first game last week to the Lady Crimson Tide of Concord High School.
The loss was sandwiched between two strong wins to put the Lady Lancers season record at 7-1.
The LHS squad’s week started on Monday, with a home game against the Lady Bulldogs of Bedford High School. Sophomores Olivia Cutuli and Sarah Woodruff combined efforts in the pitchers circle for a 5-0 shutout.
Each girl had four strikeouts with Woodruff giving up seven hits in relief, starting in the fourth inning.
The Lady Lancers had 11 hits in the game with Cutuli going three for three and getting two RBIs.
Senior Madisyn Bickford had two hits on three at bats with a run.
Londonderry started their scoring in the third inning with two bunt singles by seniors Noelle Dobe and Liana Sawyer. Samantha Minton was walked to load the bases and Cutuli was then hit by a pitch, to bring home the first run. Sawyer scored the second run on a ground out fielder’s choice.
Londonderry scored three runs in the fourth to solidify the win.
Singles were hit by Zoey Nelson, Bickford, Emily Rivera, Cutuli and Lauren Laudini in that inning.
The win brought their season record to 6-0 setting up a contest between two undefeated teams with equal records on Wednesday, April 27.
In that game, against Concord, the LHS girls got behind 7-0 by the third inning and were never able to keep pace with CHS.
Cutuli suffered the loss, going two and two-third innings and giving up 10 hits and seven runs. Junior Mya Gaspie came into the game in the third inning and suffered the same fate as her predecessor. Gaspie also gave up seven runs on 10 hits for the 14-7 loss.
Londonderry had three runs in the fourth, another three in the fifth and one in the sixth, but Bedford managed six runs in the final two innings for the overwhelming victory.
With the win Concord is now the only undefeated Division I team.
The Lady Lancers bounced back nicely to finish the week in Keene on Friday afternoon.
Woodruff and Cutuli combined efforts again for a four hit, 7-3 win.
Woodruff pitched the first four innings, striking out seven with one hit, a walk and two runs.
Cutuli had five Ks, two walks, three hits and a run.
Londonderry’s biggest inning came in the fifth, when Cutuli hit a home run with Sawyer and Rivera on first and second. Bickford singled in the fourth run of the inning to put the game at 5-2.
Londonderry scored two times in the final inning for the four-run victory.
The Lady Lancers will have games against Bishop Guertin, Lowell and Pinkerton Academy this week. The BG game, on Monday, was the only home contest.