PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Berkshire Force 12-and-under softball team allowed just three runs in four games in this weekend’s Babe Ruth New England Regional.
So the team knows a thing or two about defense … as in defending its regional crown.
The Force did just that, closing out Burlington, Mass., 11-1, in five innings in Sunday afternoon’s title game.
Mia Arpante struck out five and allowed just one hit to go the distance in the circle, and Bella MacDonald and Paxton Ebling each had a pair of hits in a nine-hit attack as Berkshire finished the tournament 4-0 and picked up its second win of the weekend against Burlington.
In both those games, the Force played error-free softball while its opponents committed seven miscues -- four in a 2-0 Berkshire win on Saturday morning.
“Our defense is excellent,” Berkshire coach Jess Glebus said. “This team, they come together. What I do love about this team is if they do make that error -- we get a passed ball or make a little fielding error -- we’re right back at it.
“We get the girl running at second base, our catcher throws her out at second base, we turn a double play. That girl often doesn’t advance when we make that defensive error. So what I like is they just come together. They really have each others’ backs.”
It was a win-win afternoon for the Berkshire Force program, which also earned a New England title in the 10U division, taking regional crowns in the only two age brackets in which the host program participated.
Actually, it was a win-win-win for Pittsfield Girls Softball, whose volunteers kept the five-division, 18-team tournament on schedule despite weather challenges throughout Saturday and Sunday at the Doyle Park complex.
The final game for the hometown team got off to a great start when Arpante retired the side on seven pitches in the top of the first, getting a called third strike and a pair of comebackers to the circle to get her offense up to bat.
Arpante then led off the bottom of the frame with a walk, igniting a rally that saw the first four Force batters reach base and score.
Kamryn Renata, Audrina Maloney and MacDonald each singled, with MacDonald reaching third on an outfield error. A wild pitch then brought her home to give Berkshire a 4-0 lead after one.
The Force tacked on a pair in the second with singles by Amanda Pou and Arpante and sacrifices from Renata and Maloney.
In the fourth, Burlington’s Morgan Ryan led off by drawing a walk and stole a pair of bases before Maddie King delivered her team’s only hit of the game, a single to left that made it 6-1.
MacDonald drove in a run in the fourth to push the margin back to six runs, and after Arpante retired the side in order in the top of the fifth, the Force put the game away in the bottom of the inning.
Michaela Hinckley started it with a walk and moved up on a couple of wild pitches before Ebling’s infield single brought her home. After Pou reached on an error that scored Ebling, Arpante drew a walk and pulled off a double-steal with Pou.
Renata’s ground ball to the right side scored Pou to make it 10-1. And Maloney’s grounder to the left side was misplayed, allowing Arpante to score easily with the run that kicked in the 10-run mercy rule.
Arpante, Hinckley and Pou had no mercy on opposing offenses all weekend, giving the Force a rotation in the circle that was tough beat.
“It’s really nice,” Glebus said of her options in the circle. “And especially with Babe Ruth, pitchers can only pitch nine straight innings. So it’s nice to know that if this one is struggling, we can really pull any of the other pitchers off the field or off the bench … and we’re all confident that they can get the job done.
“They’ve all proven they can do it. They’ve all done an excellent job all year. So it’s a nice feeling to have that we’re not saying, ‘Oh, no, what are we going to do now?’ It’s easy. Boom. Let’s go with this person.”
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