By Chris Paul
The Londonderry High School Softball team’s twelve-game winning streak ended on Saturday, June 3, in Salem, against the Blue Devils in the Quarterfinals of he Division I State Championship.
The Lady Lancers entered the state tournament as the #5 seed, and had a first round shutout victory over the Merrimack High School Tomahawks on Wednesday, May 31, but three days later, LHS had their season come to an end when they fell behind early and were never able to recover against Salem, the #4 seed.
In the team’s final home game of the season, junior Olivia Cutuli had another outstanding game from both the pitching circle and the batters box.
Cutuli was in command from the rubber, pitching seven innings with 11 strikeouts, zero walks, and just two hits.
She was also 4-4 at the plate with two homeruns, a double, and a single for five of the teams eight runs.
Merrimack’s only two hits came in the fourth and seventh innings.
The Lancers first run came in the opening inning after a leadoff Cutuli single and a pass ball score.
In the second, Cutuli hit her first dinger, just over the left-center fence and drove in three for an early 4-0 lead.
In the fourth, Cutuli factored into the scoring again, leading off with a double and having her courtesy runner, Hannah Ruggiero, score on a Lauren Laudani single.
In the fifth, Cutuli drove in two more runs with her second homer of the game.
The final run of the game came from freshman centerfielder, Riley Campo, in the sixth inning for the 8-0 final score.
Sophomore Sara Daniels had the only other double, while freshman Alison Chambers and senior catcher, Makenna True, both had singles.
In the team’s final game of the championship, on Saturday, June 3, at Salem High School, the Lancers suffered a 6-15 loss to the Blue Devils and exited in the semifinals.
Cutuli only lasted three innings in this game, giving up 10 runs on 11 hits with one walk and three Ks.
Senior Mia Gaspie took the rubber in the fourth and allowed five runs on four hits.
Salem had a grand slam in the very first inning and never looked back, scoring five runs in the first, one in the second, and four in the third before LHS finally got on the board in the fourth.
Doubles by Campo and Kaitlyn McHugh led to the first three Lancer runs.
Londonderry scored two in the fifth off singles by Cutuli, True and Nina Corvino.
The only other run score was with a leadoff home run by Campo in the sixth.