EAST SANDWICH – Deadlocked in the eighth inning, 9-9, with the visiting and previously undefeated St. John Paul II softball girls, the Sandwich Blue Knights got a taste of a bright future ahead with a walk-off, game-winning home run from Isabella Willette.
Willette, an 8th grader who went 2-4 on the day with one RBI, led off the extra frame and took the count to 2-2 before hammering one off the leftfelder’s glove to the fence for the 10-9 victory.
St. John Paul II’s Kasey Smith went 2-5 but the Lady Lions saw their unblemished record fall Monday on the road with an extra-inning walk-off homer by Blue Knight Isabella Willette.
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports Photos
The clutch, solo dinger made a winner out of fellow 8th grader Rahne Turley as the Blue Knights saw their record climb to 2-4 while the shell-shocked Lady Lions suffered their first defeat and fell to 7-1.
Taking a 9-3 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning, the visiting Lady Lions saw Sandwich explode for six runs to tie it at 9-9. Lady Lions’ ace hurler Jackie Smith had struck out the side in succession in the fifth inning, then followed with a leadoff whiff to start the bottom of the sixth before the wheels came spinning off with a one-out walk, followed by a hit batsman, infield error and single. Smith fanned Willette for the second out, but two more free passes followed by a bases-clearing double from Shelly Wolfe made it a tie ballgame at 9-9. Smith whiffed opposing pitcher Turley (who leads off for the Blue Knights) to stop the bleeding but the damage had been done.
Smith (7-1) took her first loss while striking out 10 batters. The Lady Lions rapped out 16 hits on the day, including another home run by catcher Hadley Tate (9th of the season) who went 4-4. Smith went 3-5 and scored two runs, while her sister Kasey Smith went 2-5 with two runs scored. Sam Carlowicz went 3-5 as well, while Kristen Hayes went 2-4.
Sandwich hurler Turley struck out nine in the extra-inning victory.
The Blue Knights had just five hits on the day, with Willette’s home run being a career first, but five walks issued by St. John Paul II’s Smith aided the Sandwich cause.
St. John Paul II welcomes Cape Tech Tuesday at 4:00 pm.
Sandwich welcomes an undefeated Dennis-Yarmouth team on Wednesday at 4:00 pm in an all-important Atlantic Coast League match-up.
— Sean Walsh is the sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm
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