Classical softball tops English

LYNN - The Classical High softball team completed a sweep of rival English Wednesday with a 12-1 win at Keaney Park.

Classical took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when pitcher Mackenzie Coppinger walked and ended up scoring on a throwing error on a dropped third strike. English came back in the bottom of the inning when Taylor Newhall smoked a triple to left center field and then scored on an error. After surrendering a single to Keila Lantigua, Coppinger slammed the door shut.

Coppinger fanned the next three batters to get out of the inning and then allowed only two more hits (11 strikeouts, 1 walk) the rest of the way.

Classical didn't have all that much success against English pitcher Victoria Oliva early on, but back-to-back walks to start the third inning opened the door a bit and the Rams took advantage. Sam Earp (2 walks, 2 hit by pitch) scored the first of her three runs on a Chelsey Bartlett fielder's choice and Bartlett scored on a hard-hit ball by Jennie Erekson that Oliva knocked down, but couldn't make a play on.

Despite the score, Classical only had four hits.

"It was just a lot of errors," said coach Chris Warren. "But English played better than it did the last time. There were only eight walks today where there were 17, and five hit batters, the last time."

The Rams, leading 3-1, gave themselves a little breathing room with three runs in the fourth inning. Shortstop Hannah Byrne singled in Danielle Moran for the first run and Bartlett reached on an error that also scored two runs (Earp and Byrne) for a 6-1 Classical lead.

Classical put the game away in the sixth. Bartlett singled, driving in Franki Galeazzi (walk) and Earp (hit by pitch). Byrne also came home on the play when the ball was bobbled. Bartlett scored on a single by Erekson, and Coppinger scored from third when Erekson stole second. Byrne scored on an Erekson fielder's choice in the seventh for the final run.

"I was happy with the game today," English coach Alisa Fila said. "The kids made some plays. It was definitely a lot better game than they gave them the first time around."

Classical (17-1, 15-0 Northeastern Conference North) plays its final conference game today against Salem at Breed. If the Rams win, they would finish 16-0 in the conference.

"Both teams have a lot to play for," Warren said. "The game means a lot to us for tournament seedings. And we've put ourselves in a position to have a season we can all remember."

Rams wrap up second straight NEC softball crown

By Kevin Doyle / For The Item

Chris Warren didn't doubt the Lynn Classical softball team would bounce back from Friday's tough loss to Malden, Classical's first of the season. It's just that the Rams took a bit longer than their supporters are perhaps accustomed to Saturday morning at Breed's Grace Rogato Field.

Down to its final at-bat, Classical scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to squeeze past determined Winthrop, 4-3, and clinch a share of its second straight Northeastern Conference championship and third in four years. The Rams (13-0 NEC, 15-1 overall) then secured the outright title later Saturday night when they trekked to Revere and pasted the Patriots, 14-0.

According to Warren, softball thus became the first girls team in school history to clinch consecutive NEC championships in any sport.

In the decisive seventh inning against Winthrop, Danielle Moran led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Hannah Byrne laced a game-tying single, took second on the throw to the plate and scored the game-winning run when Chelsey Bartlett's fly ball was dropped.

"It was a good rebound for us. Winthrop has beaten us three years in a row, all one-run games. They always get up for us and we expect it from them. (Winthrop coach) Dave Guffy and I are good friends, we work summer camps together that both teams attend and we know each other's kids," said Warren.

Guffy, upbeat despite the difficult nature of the loss, concurred.

"Except for the ending, I thought it was our best game top to bottom that we've played this year, all the way around. The kids from both teams know each other and it's really become a healthy rivalry," said Guffy, whose 8-10 club is headed for post-season play via the Sullivan Rule.

Pitchers Katie Cuozzo of Classical and Alex Ferri of Winthrop kept opposing hitters in check. Cuozzo struck out eight, scattered six hits and didn't allow an earned run. Ferri had the Rams off balance throughout, striking out 10 while yielding just five hits.

"Their pitcher was outstanding - she really kept us quiet," said Warren.

Classical grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Bartlett walked and scored on a triple by Jennie Erekson, who then crossed on Olivia DeJoie's single.

Winthrop cut the lead to 2-1 in the third on a run-scoring single by Alyssa Moore (2-for-3), then moved in front in the fifth on a two-run single by Andrea Martucci (3-for-4). The Rams, triggered by the senior Byrne, would show their championship mettle.

"We're really excited. It's our third championship in four years and Hannah has been a big part of this for four years. She's the first girl to be a part of three championship teams in school history," Warren noted.

Lynn Classical 14, Revere 0

The Rams left little to chance Saturday night, scoring early and often against the Patriots. Bartlett (3-for-3) enjoyed a monster game, clubbing two doubles and driving in seven runs. Byrne went 3-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored; Moran was 3-for-4 with two RBI; and Franki Galeazzi had a pair of hits and scored two runs. Meanwhile, Mackenzie Coppinger struck out six and yielded just three hits for the shutout.

Classical kicks off a busy final week of the regular season with the first of six games today against Beverly. Included is a rematch at Malden on Friday (4 p.m.).

Classical catcher Chelsey Bartlett is there with the ball in her glove as Malden's Emily Moran slides into home during Friday's game at Breed. (Item Photo / Reba M. Saldanha)

Malden softball squeaks by Classical

By Matthew Roy / For The Item

LYNN - It felt very much like a state tournament game on Friday at Breed's Grace Rogato Field as unbeaten Classical hosted a Malden squad that came in at 12-1 and boasted one of the top pitchers in Division 1 in junior Kiara Amos and an explosive offense.


In a nip-and-tuck battle, it was Amos and the Golden Tornadoes who were able to scratch across single runs in the fifth and seventh innings against Mackenzie Coppinger as the Rams lost for the first time in 2011, 2-0, on a 2-hitter from Amos.

"Malden is a very, very good team," Classical coach Chris Warren said. "We knew coming in that this was going to be a 1-0 game either way and it wound up 2-0."

Coppinger pitched well on Friday against a lineup that boasted seven batters with batting averages over .400 as she held Malden (13-1) to six hits but Amos was just a little bit better in hurling her sixth shutout of the season and improving on her 0.35 ERA.

"That was the best softball game I've seen all year," Malden coach John Furlong said. "Classical is really well coached and are very tough. We were able to get a couple of timely hits and that was the difference."

Both teams struggled to find chances to score as the Rams (13-1) managed only three base runners all day. Malden, meanwhile, spread its six hits over four different innings and saw rallies in the second and third killed by the Classical defense.

"We made some mistakes and didn't adjust in the box at times," Warren said. "You need to adjust on every pitch against a good pitcher like (Amos)."

The first serious threat by either team to score came in the fifth after Coppinger had retired the first two Malden batters.

Francesca Richardson got the rally started when she slapped a single to right with two strikes. She moved up on a passed ball before No. 9 batter Ashley Powers drew a walk.

Shortstop Rebecca Krigman then deposited a single up the right-center gap to bring Richardson around for a 1-0 Malden lead. And with the way Amos was throwing, the gulf seemed like much more than that.

After Jennie Erekson singled with two outs in the second, Classical would not put another runner on base until Danielle Moran reached on an error with two out in the sixth.

"Thank God Kiara is only a junior," Furlong joked. "The one big thing (Friday) was that the girls behind her who haven't had a chance to make plays at times were able to make the ones we needed to win."

The Golden Tornadoes would add an insurance run in the seventh despite a near Keystone Cops routine on the bases.

Coppinger hit Jessalyne Brown to lead off the inning. Hannah Calderone followed with a single before Richardson sacrificed the runners to third.

Powers then attempted a safety squeeze that was bobbled and dropped, resulting in mass chaos on the basepaths and two runners at third for a moment. In the confusion, Brown was able to slip home ahead of Hannah Byrne's throw for the 2-0 lead.

"We made a mental mistake there," Warren said. "And when you're playing good teams and you make a mistake, they're going to beat you."

Classical would get the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the inning, but Amos got Erekson to chase a pitch out of the strike zone to end the game.

Classical catcher Chelsey Bartlett gets ready to put the tag on a sliding Lindsey Marini of Swampscott during Friday's game. (Item photo / Reba M. Saldanha)

Classical softball outlasts Swampscott

By Matthew Roy / For The Item

SWAMPSCOTT -- The Lynn Classical softball team clinched a berth in the state tournament as quick as one possibly can on Friday but by no means was it easy against Swampscott.

The Big Blue actually outhit Classical, 10-9, but saw a 4-3 fourth inning lead disappear in a hurry as Classical ripped off six unanswered runs and took a closer than indicated 9-5 win.

"The first goal is to always qualify for the tournament," Classical coach Chris Warren said after his team clinched a seventh straight postseason berth. "The girls are playing well right now but give Swampscott a lot of credit. Their pitcher (Angela Vousboukis) kept us off balance a lot."

The Big Blue (4-6) had momentum squarely on their side after the first three innings, leading 4-3 and were consistently getting to Rams starter Katie Cuozzo.

Then with one swing of her bat, Mackenzie Coppinger changed the entire game with a solo homer to left that tied the game.

"We knew that they would have their run and we hoped to contain it," Swampscott coach Frank Kowalski said. "That home run just changed the momentum."

Even more important for the Rams would be Coppinger coming to the mound and putting the shackles on Swampscott. The Big Blue got seven hits and four earned runs off Cuozzo but would he held to three hits and one run over the final four innings.

"Copp came in and did a great job," Warren said. "It was a big at bat she had with the homer and then she came in and stopped them on the mound."

Classical took the lead for good in the fifth. Sam Earp and Danielle Moran led off with singles then with one out, Hannah Byrne (2-4, 3 RBI) brought home Earp on a fielders choice before Moran crossed on an error to make it 6-4.

The Rams would put the game away in the seventh, scoring three times on three hits and an error. Byrne drove home two runs with a double to dead center before Coppinger's base hit to left capped the scoring for the Rams.

Swampscott made it semi-interesting in the bottom of the seventh, pushing one run across before Lauren Sullivan lined back to Coppinger to end the game.

"We got timely hitting (Friday)," Warren said.

Cuozzo's bat helps Classical beat Saugus in battle of unbeatens

By Joyce Erekson / The Daily Item

Katie Cuozzo is generally known for working her magic on the mound, but it was her bat that got the job done for the Classical High softball team Monday in a 5-1 win over Saugus at Saugus.

Both teams were undefeated going into the contest and the game reflected it. Classical (9-0, 7-0 Northeastern Conference) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a throwing error on a bunt and Saugus returned the favor by tying the game on an error

Cuozzo (2-for-4, run, 3 RBI) drove in what would prove to be the game-winner for the Rams in the sixth inning on a monster home run over the left fielder's head. Centerfielder Danielle Moran, who threw a runner out at the plate earlier in the game, knocked in a run to give Classical a 3-1 lead and Cuozzo struck again in the seventh with a two-run single for the 5-1 final. Jerrica DeLosSantos (2-for-4, run) also contributed with the bat for the Rams.

Mackenzie Coppinger (7 innings, 2 hits, 5 strikeouts, 3 walks, 1 hit batter, no earned runs) went the distance for Classical. Nichole Lowe took the loss for the Sachems.

"(Mackenzie) had a little control problem, but she scattered the walks and kept them off-balance," Classical coach Chris Warren said.

"Saugus is a good team," he said. "They were undefeated going in."