Cosmos slip Otters in eighth inning

It wasn’t the prettiest of hits, but it sure got the job done during Springfield’s home opener.

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Published April 22, 2016 in the Rutland Herald Cosmos slip Otters in eighth inning SPRINGFIELD — It wasn’t the prettiest of hits, but it sure got the job done during Springfield’s home opener. Springfield’s Hailey Rabtoy tapped a dribbled past the outstretched glove of Otter Valley pitcher Courtney Bushey, scoring Lina Geyer with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to secure a 4-3 softball win over the Otters on Thursday afternoon in Springfield. “Their pitcher tried to grab it on the backhand. It wasn’t an error or anything, it just got by her,” Springfield coach Andy Bladyka said. “This was really the first game we’ve played that we’ve been under a good amount of pressure.” The dribbler secured yet another win for Cosmos starting pitcher Jade Twombly. The senior was tested more than she had been in any previous start this season. After giving up just five hits in her first four outings, Twombly conceded three hits to a strong Otters lineup. Still, Twombly was in fine form, recording 19 strikeouts. “She throws a hard curve and worked well in and off the corners,” Bladyka said. “She mixed in a rise and a changeup and really threw the whole package at them.” Twombly struck out the side in the first, second, third, fourth and seventh innings. Perhaps her most impressive inning was the seventh, when the senior faced a two-on, nobody-out situation. Twombly battled back to strike the next three batters out. Cassidy Otis got the Cosmos off to a good start with a triple to a gap in the outfield before scoring for a 1-0 lead in the first frame. Liz Chambers connected on a double in the fifth inning to give Springfield a 3-1 lead. The Otters, though, fought back and tied things up on a two-run triple to the right-center gap from Char Winslow. Winslow, though, tried to stretch the triple into a home run and was thrown out on a perfect 9-6-2 relay. Bushey was no slouch herself, striking out 11 and walking just one. She gave up seven hits. Gabby Poalino reached base twice. She singled and scored a run for the Otters. Springfield improves to 5-0 and travels to Trattleboro on Tuesday. http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20160422/SPORTS02/160429830