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Lee Ks 10 as Force Opens Regional with Win
By Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires.com Sports
09:22PM / Thursday, July 06, 2017
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Berkshire Force 16-and-under softball team used three hits in the top of the sixth inning to break open a 3-0 game and went on to a 6-2 win over Lyndon, Vt., in the first game of the Babe Ruth New England Regional at the Doyle Softball Complex.
 
Delaney Ivas delivered the big blow, a two-out, two-run double down the line in left to make it 6-0 and put the game out of reach.
 
Brianna Clary went 2-for-4 with a solo inside-the-park home run, and six different players had at least one hit for the Force.
 
“We came out a little sluggish,” Berkshire coach Jim Clary said. “The slow pitching kind of kept us in check for a while. But they made their adjustments in the latter innings, that’s for sure.
 
“For a team that was just put together, everybody helps out. Everybody picks each other up. And 1-through-9, we’re pretty good.”
 
Pitcher Mary Lee allowed just one hit and struck out 10 to earn the win in the circle.
 
She struck out the side in the first and third innings and had nine Ks through the first four frames.
 
Meanwhile, her offense spotted her an early lead with single runs in the first, third and fifth.
 
Jenica Ostellino reached on an infield single to lead off the game. She then stole second and came home on a single by Emma Parkington.
 
In the third, Tori Partridge reached on an error to lead things off. She moved up when Ostellino was hit by a pitch and Clary reached on an infield single. And Partridge scored on a sac fly by Parkington for her second RBI to make it 2-0.
 
In the fifth, Clary launched the ball into left field and hurried around the bases to make it 3-0.
 
And in the sixth, Nicole Trova led off by dropping a single into left field. She moved up on an error and scored on Lee’s single up the middle. Tori Orlandi then walked before Ivas’ double to finish the Force’s scoring.
 
Lyndon finally got its first hit in the bottom of the sixth and used it to spark a two-run rally.
 
But Lee stranded a runner at third when second baseman Trova made a fine play on a ball that caromed off Lee in the circle. And another ground ball to second ended the game in the seventh with a runner on second.
 
Berkshire did not commit an error behind Lee in its tournament-opening win.
 
“That’s what I’m proudest of with these girls,” Clary said. “They’ve been working hard the last two weeks just on their defense. We saw games last week where we made some minor mistakes, and it cost us some runs. Tonight, we didn’t make those mistakes.”
 
The Berkshire Force 16U squad has a quick turnaround to get ready for a Friday 10 a.m. game against the Adams Thunder, which opened the tourney last night with a 5-3 loss to Raynham, Mass.
 
In the 12-and-under New England Regional, also being contested at Doyle, the Berkshire Force rallied from a 5-1 deficit and scored two runs in the top of the seventh to earn a 7-5 win over Andy Valley of Maine.
 
The Berkshire Force 12U plays Windham on Friday morning while Andy Valley takes on the Adams Thunder in the first of its two Friday games.
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