Otters’ Aines no-hits Springfield

Girls softball at Brandon.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20140522/SPORTS02/705229891

Springfield’s Sara Locke (2) attempts to bunt one of OV pitcher Taylor Aines’ pitches during Wednesday’s game in Brandon. Locke would be thrown out on the play, injury her hand after colliding with first baseman Danielle Eddy. Aines ended up with a no hitter. Photo: Albert J. Marro / Staff PhotoPublished May 22, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Otters’ Aines no-hits Springfield By TOM HALEY STAFF WRITER BRANDON — No-hitters don’t grow on trees. But they just might grow on Candon Field. Otter Valley softball pitcher Taylor Aines threw her second no-hitter this season on her home diamond and the third of her career in Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over Springfield. Springfield scored an unearned run in the top of the first with the aid of two errors. KK Haskell lofted a sacrfice fly to center scoring Chelsea McAllister who had reached on an outfield error. After that Aines was perfect. Eighteen up and 18 down from the second inning on. “I felt pretty good. My team was behind me. They made all the plays. It’s not like they weren’t making contact,” Aines said. She was spot on. She pitched to contact, striking out only four. But after that opening inning, the Otters did indeed make all the plays. The Otters answered in the home half of the first, getting the only two runs Aines would need. They were helped by Cosmo errors and capitalized by playing their trademark small ball. Brittany Bushey drew a walk and took second on Amy Jones’ groundout. Aines reached on a fielder’s choice, but an error on the play enabled Bushey to score and Aines to advance to second. Aines also scored on an error. “Our defense made some mistakes and it cost us. After the second inning we made all the plays,” Springfield coach Andy Bladyka said. “Against their pitcher and the defense that Otter Valley plays there isn’t much room for error.” The Otters got their pad run in the second when Olivia Bloomer reached on an outfield error and came around to score on Bushey’s ground ball that was misplayed. There was no scoring over the final four innings as Springfield’s Heather Sanborn also pitched a stellar game the rest of the way. The Otters backed Aines by making all the routine plays as well as some more difficult ones like the nice running catch going away by right fielder Meghan McKeighan. But the fielding star of the game was Springfield third baseman Chelsea McAllister. She robbed Aines of base hits twice on hot smashes, one going to her left and the other to her right. “She’s something,” Bladyka said of his third baseman. “Chelsea just has that intuition.” You could make a highlight reel from McAllister’s work at the hot corner, but this day belonged to Aines. “The defense making the plays helps Taylor to relax,” OV coach Pattie Candon said. No hits and no walks made for a rocking-chair game for Otter Valley catcher Laura-Beth Roberts. “Even though it was hot, she made my job pretty easy,” Roberts said. “She is having a fantastic season. “I have been catching her since the seventh grade and we are best friends. We have got chemistry out there.” Aines is having a special season, but so are the Otters. They pushed their record to 9-3. They have been playing better as the season has gone on as was indicated by the fact they recently defeated a Division I Brattleboro team that had beaten the Otters earlier in the season. “Brattleboro was a big win for us,” Aines said. The win over a 6-6 Springfield club wasn’t bad, either. The Cosmos have been playing solidly against good teams. The first meeting against Otter Valley was a 7-0 loss but it was a game that was scoreless going into the sixth inning. “We have four games left and if we play like we did against Otter Valley we are going to win most of them,” Bladyka said. The Cosmos have a makeup game today at Twin Valley. They also have a game on Saturday night under the lights at home against Green Mountain, a series that has provided some special memories. It was in 2006 when Green Mountain brought a 15-0 record to the Cosmos’ beautiful lighted facility and Springfield beat them 1-0. The Otters will gun for their 10th victory on Friday at Mount Anthony, a game that has a 5 p.m. start time and then they travel to Leland & Gray for a makeup game on Monday.