A mid-season respite was supposed to do plenty of good for the Christian Brothers Academy softball team, and when it returned to action early last week, it had no trouble getting back in the win column, handling Hannibal 19-1.
But when the Brothers hosted Marcellus last Thursday afternoon, it could not take advantage of a host of opportunities and took a 2-0 defeat to the Mustangs.
Maddy Tallman retired the first nine Marcellus batters she faced, but it remained 0-0 as Marcellus freshman pitcher Aubrey Fraher matched those zeroes.
Then Fraher sparked the decisive rally in the top of the fourth by drawing a leadoff walk. Caroline Trytek’s bunt single saw Fraher speed to third base, and she scored on Evelyn Webster’s single. Ellie Mahoney’s grounder brought Trytek home.
Tallman shut out Marcellus the rest of the way and only allowed four hits, striking out six, which gave the Brothers plenty of time to try and solve Fraher.
Abby Benware doubled in the fourth inning, but didn’t make it home. Hall doubled in the sixth and Julia DelPino walked, but on the first pitch she faced, Julia Griffith grounded out.
Finally, in the seventh, Tallman led off with a double, only to have a groundout turn into a double play when Elaine Grattan threw to Mahoney, who tagged out Tallman. Two batters later, Fraher coaxed Maura Clare Conan into a grounder for the final out.
Two days earlier, CBA, playing just its second game in two weeks, unloaded on Hannibal 19-1 in a game shortened to four innings, Tallman only allowing one hit while getting a pair of RBIs at the plate.
Benware went three-for-three, scoring three times and earning five RBIs. Emily Hall scored four runs, with Conan and Victoria Hall each joining Benware in scoring three runs. Griffith, DelPino and Olivia Zoeckler had one RBI apiece.
Bishop Grimes broke out of its slump in last Monday’s game at Cato-Meridian, bashing the Blue Devils 13-5. From a 5-5 tie, the Cobras moved out in front with three runs in the sixth inning and added five runs in the top of the seventh.
Sarah Falgiatano led the way, her pair of doubles producing five RBIs. McKenna Squier doubled, scored three times and drove in four runs, with Brianna Bowles and Becca Vinciquerra each scoring twice.
