Springfield capitalizes early to beat Leland & Gray

Leland & Gray gave Springfield some extra opportunities in the first inning on Thursday. The Cosmos were happy to cash in.
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Springfield capitalizes early to beat Leland & Gray By Jason Orfao | Apr 17, 2015 Photo by: Jason Orfao Springfield senior Maygan Daly connects with a pitch on Thursday during the Cosmos' 8-0 win over Leland & Gray at Bill Robinson Field. SPRINGFIELD — Leland & Gray gave Springfield some extra opportunities in the first inning on Thursday. The Cosmos were happy to cash in. Springfield tallied six runs in the first inning and coasted to an 8-0 win over the Rebels at Bill Robinson Field in a VPA softball clash. The Cosmos capitalized on four errors in the first inning, as five of the six runs were unearned. Chelsea McAllister — who went 2-for-2 and scored twice — sparked the early outburst with an RBI single to plate Corrina Nichols. Jade Twombly smacked an RBI double, while Maygan Daly and Calista Polidor each reached base on bunt singles. “Leland & Gray is always well-coached and they’re always a solid team. It was their first game and our second and I think in those first couple of innings, we took advantage of their jitters a little bit,” said Springfield coach Andy Bladyka. “But we executed. We hit the ball hard, we got some bunts down and ran the bases well. We took full advantage of their mistakes early. Once you get a bunch of runs on the board with Jade throwing, you feel like you’re in pretty good shape.” That feeling proved true. Twombly tossed a second consecutive shutout for Springfield (2-0). The junior surrendered just four hits, struck out 10 and walked three. Over the first two starts of her varsity career — including Tuesday’s 15-0 win over Twin Valley — Twombly has fanned 21 batters and allowed only six hits in 12 innings of work. “She doesn’t look it right now, but these are her two first varsity starts,” said Bladyka. “If you’re going to start a pitching career, this is a pretty good way to do it. She looks like a seasoned veteran.” Springfield scratched across two more runs in the bottom of the second inning to claim an 8-0 advantage. Leland & Gray (0-1) regrouped from there, though, and played quality softball the rest of the way. The Rebels didn’t allow a hit after the second frame, but Keltsey Rushton endured the loss for Leland & Gray. She pitched all six innings, allowed five hits, eight runs — three earned — with six strikeouts, no walks and two hit batsmen. “We played good defense after those first two,” said Leland & Gray coach Tammy Claussen. “After that first inning I was just like, ‘What team is this out there?’ I was much more comfortable with what we did defensively.” Twombly was flat-out dominant over the first few innings. She fanned eight of the first 11 Rebels she faced. “We’re going to have to make better contact with the ball if we’re going to score some runs,” said Claussen. “I’ve seen this team in practice so I know they’re very capable. We can hit.” Although the Rebels began to time Twombly well enough to consistently put the ball in play over the final four innings, the Springfield defense was dependable and only one runner reached third base all day. “Jade threw the ball well,” said Bladyka. “The defense had to work harder today than they did on Tuesday and they were up to it.” Springfield will face a tough test next time out as the Cosmos travel to defending VPA Division I champion Mt. Anthony on Tuesday. “I told the girls there’s no better time to play them,” said Bladyka. Box Score SPRINGFIELD 8, LELAND & GRAY 0 LELAND & GRAY (0-1) — AB-R-H-RBI: Emily Stockwell cf 3-0-1-0, Skyler Nupp lf 2-0-0-0, Ashley Bates ph-lf 1-0-0-0, Rachel Borgesen 1b 3-0-0-0, Jordan Gouger ss 3-0-1-0, Emily Thibault 2b 3-0-2-0, Keltsey Rushton p 3-0-0-0, Jessie Stockwell 3b 3-0-0-0, Mackenzie Boyle c 1-0-0-0, Erica Cutts rf 3-0-0-0. Totals 25-0-4-0. SPRINGFIELD (2-0) — AB-R-H-RBI: Brooke Willey ss 3-0-0-0, Haley Rabtoy 1-0-0-0, Corrina Nichols 2b 3-2-0-0, Chelsea McAllister 3b 2-2-2-1, Cassidy Otis 1b 3-1-0-2, Lina Geyer rf 3-1-0-0, Madee Stagner lf 0-0-0-0, Maygan Daly c 3-1-1-0, Jade Twombly p 3-0-1-1, Kayla Quimby cr-lf-rf 0-1-0-0, Alyssa Lucius lf 3-0-0-0, Calista Polidor cf 3-0-1-1. Totals 27-8-5-5. Leland & Gray 000 000 0—0 4 5 Springfield 620 000 X—8 5 1 2B: S — Twombly. IP-H-R-ER-BB-SO: LG — Keltsey Rushton LP 6-5-8-3-0-6. S — Jade Twombly WP 7-4-0-0-3-10.