By John C. Mitchell
Tewksbury, Mass.–A trio of Bedford middle-schoolers helped propel the Tewksbury Girls Softball League’s 12U Redmen to victory in a dramatic, come-from-behind win in this weekend’s USA Softball Boston Open Championship. Rising seventh-graders Kaylee Grace and Sydney Cox and rising eighth-grader Ellie Mitchell each played a role in Tewksbury’s 9–8 defeat of the Fairfield (Conn.) Fury 2004 at the Field of Dreams complex on Livingston Street.
Images in the gallery below are all (c) John Mitchell, 2017 all rights reserved – Double click each to view a larger image
The Redmen were first on the board following on a defensive error in the top of the first—Tewksbury, despite playing on its home field, was the visiting team following a coin toss—but were unable to further capitalize. The Fury responded forcefully in the bottom of the frame, plating four runs on five consecutive hits off Grace, the starting pitcher. Both teams traded runs but the Fury maintained a lead, ahead 5–2 entering the fifth inning. In the top of the fifth, Tewksbury tied the game at 5, following a single by Colleen Crail and a series of walks, but Fairfield again jumped ahead on a two-out, based-loaded single off reliever Kileigh Crail. Tewksbury trailed 7–5 entering the sixth inning, but was retired in order, leaving Crail to keep the game close. She shut down the Fury in the bottom of the sixth, allowing one hit and striking out two, for a total of four Ks in two-plus innings of relief.
Then, in the top of the final inning, the comeback began. Molly McDonough led off for Tewksbury with a single to turn over the order. Grace followed with a walk, but was retired when Morgan Barmash subsequently grounded into a fielder’s choice. Mitchell followed, reaching first on a late throw from third. With the bases loaded, Cox doubled to deep left-center to score three and give the hometown team the lead. Kendall von Kahle followed by reaching base on an error, scoring Cox and putting her team up 9-7.
After K. Crail allowed two hits to start the bottom of the seventh, Manager Mike Downing called on Grace, his starter, to try to hold the lead. The Fury scored once on two more hits and kept the bases loaded, with the tying run on third and no outs. K. Crail, now at shortstop, deftly handled a pop-up and a line drive to bring Tewksbury within one out of the championship. Barmash secured the win on a high pop-fly to second base, starting the infield celebration as family and friends cheered from beyond the outfield.
Downing, in an email to the team, said, “Winning is great and winning championships are even better, but sometimes how you win them, who you win them with, who you win them against, and where you win them, make them even greater.” He added, “Winning this one in comeback style, with this amazing group of girls, against a great team, at home, will be tough to top.”
Tewksbury did not lose a game on its road to the championship, defeating Chelmsford, the Acton-Boxborough Lightning, and the Hudson (N.H.) Fire in Friday and Saturday’s pool play, and defeating the Nashua Nightmares and the Billerica Bratz in Sunday’s quarterfinal and semifinal, respectively.
The 12U Redmen are part of the Tewksbury Girls Softball League and comprise players from Tewksbury, Bedford, and Woburn. The team will play their next tournament—“Porky’s Last Roast”—hosted bythe Lowell Girls Softball League, the weekend of August 4–6.
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