Curtis wins pitching duel

Windsor hurler Katelyn Curtis knew she was going to have to be at her best in Friday's Marble Valley League game at Bill Robinson Field in Springfield - and she was.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20120414/SPORTS02/704149903

Published April 14, 2012 in the Rutland Herald
Curtis wins pitching duel

By POODY WALSH
Herald Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD — Windsor hurler Katelyn Curtis knew she was going to have to be at her best in Friday’s Marble Valley League game at Bill Robinson Field in Springfield — and she was. The senior right-hander didn’t allow a base runner after the third inning, retiring the final 13 in order, as Windsor combined that nifty pitching with an errorless defense to nip Springfield 3-2.

Curtis did not walk a batter in throwing 63 pitches, 47 of which were strikes. In the first, fourth and seventh inning she threw nothing but strikes. Not blessed with overpowering speed, she resorted to a little guile in winning her three-hit, six-strikeout gem.

“I just tried to keep the ball away from the middle of the plate,” she said. “I also was able to hit my spots and stay ahead of the hitters today.”

In the first and seventh innings, she threw just four pitches.

It was a strange high school softball game in one aspect. There was not a single base on balls in the contest. Springfield hurlers Heather Sanborn and Sara Locke also kept the base-on-balls ledger clean.

While Curtis was clearly the No. 1 star on this day, the Windsor defense was a close second as it didn’t have one bobble. Meanwhile, Springfield had four miscues.

“We gift-wrapped the three runs,” Springfield coach Andy Bladykasaid.

It was the first defeat for Springfield since the last regular season game of the 2011 season with Brattleboro. The Cosmos won all four of their postseason games and went into Friday’s contest at 3-0.

“Hey, I told the kids after the game that this was not a funeral,” Bladykasaid. “We have a tough schedule and we might lose some games. But you know I’m a competitor and I would like to play them again tomorrow.”

Curtis also got some mileage out of a changeup that Windsor coach Phil Hathorn said was better as the game went along.

“Earlier it wasn’t so (good), but later on she was dead on with it. She kept them off balance. You know she’s been struggling a bit at the plate, but she’s not letting that affect her pitching.”

The win brought Windsor to 3-0.

It was a 2-2 game after two innings and in the third, Windsor scratched a run to take a 3-2 lead. While these two strong teams figured to score some more runs, that was it for the day.

Springfield also got some dandy pitching as Sanborn went the first five and Locke the final two. Sanborn had eight strikeouts and was charged with the loss. She gave up five hits. Locke allowed just one hit.

The run that broke the 2-2 tie in the third came when Haley Wood singled and stole second. Then when Nikki Kibling grounded to short, Wood took off for third. The throw back across the diamond was over the third baseman’s head and Wood came home with what would prove to be the winning run.

In the first, the Jacks scored twice. Wood, who scored two runs and had two hits from her leadoff spot, stared the mini-rally with an infield single. She stole second and with one out rode home on Kibling’s base hit to left. When the ball got by the leftfielder, Kibling moved to second from where Allison Wilcox, who also had two hits, singled her home.

All three of Springfield’s hits came in the third inning as the Cosmos tied the game at 2-2. Kaylee Haskell and Chelsea McAllister were on base with singles when Meghan Courchesne doubled over the center fielder’s head. The Cosmos nearly had another run in that inning as Courchesne was in scoring position when Julia Stein ripped a liner to third that Alicia Cowdrey snared.

Springfield has a night game with Green Mountain on Tuesday while Windsor goes to Stevens on Monday.