Twombly twirls yet another 1-hitter as Cosmos top GM

Springfield entered play Thursday afternoon against Green Mountain winners of two straight to start the season. Senior Jade Twombly won both of those games, both one-hitters and allowed just one run.

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2016-04-15 / Sports Twombly twirls yet another 1-hitter as Cosmos top GM By CHRIS DOHERTY cdoherty@eagletimes.com Springfield's Jade Twombly delivers a pitch during Thursday's game at Green Mountain. — CHRIS DOHERTY Springfield's Jade Twombly delivers a pitch during Thursday's game at Green Mountain. — CHRIS DOHERTYCAVENDISH — Springfield entered play Thursday afternoon against Green Mountain winners of two straight to start the season. Senior Jade Twombly won both of those games, both one-hitters and allowed just one run. She continued the dominance again on Thursday, allowing just one hit in a complete game shutout as the Cosmos defeated the Lady Chiefs 4-0 at Greven Field. GM head coach Terry Farrell said it was a tough test right out of the gate with the game being his team’s first of the year. “We had to start the season against the best kid (Twombly) we’re going to see all year,” he said. “Three one-hitters, it helps when you’re struggling on offense,” Springfield head coach Andy Bladyka said. Rylee Ewald, GM’s lone senior, matched her counterpart most of the way, allowing just six hits in seven innings of work. “Give Rylee credit, she stayed around the corners,” said Bladyka. “If she mixes speed like that and stays around the corners they’ll be successful with that defense.” The Cosmos scored their first run in the third inning after stranding four runners in the first two. With two outs, Cassidy Otis was hit for the second time in the game. Madee Stagner ran for Otis so she could ice her elbow. After a Twombly single, Hailey Rabtoy drove a 3-2 pitch up the middle to score Stagner for a 1-0 lead. In the fifth inning, Ari Rowe extended the lead with a two-run single that scored Calista Polidor and Lina Geyer. Rowe is a senior who hadn’t played softball since eighth grade, according to Bladyka. “She’s been a nice addition to our group,” said Bladyka. “It was the Friday night before the first day of tryouts that I finally talked her into playing after a couple of years of trying to talk her into playing. “I told her to give me two weeks. I said, ‘Give me two weeks of practices and if you hate it, I’ll let you go,’ and here she is. I think today makes her like it a little more,” he continued. After hurting her elbow in the third inning, Otis fought through the pain the rest of the game catching Twombly. “She’s an awfully tough kid,” Bladyka said of Otis. “She is a competitor, she plays the game hard, she plays to win. “Even with an aching elbow she hit about four rockets foul and then got one fair. She’s a strong, strong hitter.” That rocket was a double to lead off the seventh inning. It was a one-hopper off of the replica Green Monster in left field. Stagner ran for her again and would score her second run of the game on a bases-loaded walk by Hannah Crosby. Green Mountain’s only hit off of Twombly came in the first inning, a bunt single by Lexi White to lead off the game. White stole second and was sacrificed to third by Hannah Veysey. Twombly went on to strike out the next two batters to get out of the jam. Green Mountain's Kassidy Cummings throws to first on a ground ball to third during Thursday's game. Green Mountain's Kassidy Cummings throws to first on a ground ball to third during Thursday's game. In the third inning, White walked and stole second with two outs. Twombly responded with another strikeout to end the threat. GM reached scoring position again in the fourth inning. Kassidy Cummings walked, stole second and advanced to third on a ground out. Twombly enduced another ground ball out to retire the side. Twombly finished the game with 12 strikeouts. It looked as though Springfield was going to take an early lead in the first inning. The Cosmos loaded the bases with one out, but Cummings threw out Polidor at the plate on a grounder to third and then Ewald picked up a strikeout to end the scare. Although Bladyka credited Ewald with a solid effort in the circle, he did say that his team needed to be more aggressive. “We have to swing at more strikes,” she said. “We took way too many strikes today.” The Cosmos look to extend their winning streak to four to begin the season at Bellows Falls Saturday morning at 11 a.m. For GM, Farrell liked what he saw for his team’s first game of the season. He noted that the team struggled last year defensively, but also said he saw improvement. “That was our problem last year, more not knowing what to do with the ball when it’s hit to you, that kind of stuff. So, it was improvement this year I thought so far,” he said. GM will look to pick up win No. 1 of the year this afternoon at Leland & Gray at 4:30.