by Dakota Antelman
With expectations high, but few games played, the softball team rallied behind freshman Sophia Togneri this April break and played their way to a win in the championship round of the Cheryl Jones Tournament.
Togneri pitched every inning of the annual April break tournament and found herself at or near the top of the batting lineup throughout the week. In Thursday’s win over Nashoba, Togneri tossed six strikeouts over seven innings. She also went 2-4 at the plate, notching a triple as well as a walk-off single in the seventh inning.
“The kids like Sophia who are willing to put in offseason time, who know that you can’t just come in on the first day and get yourself in shape, are great,” Hudson coach Mary Beth Cashman said. “Sophia, she has gotten herself in shape. She is confident. She’s a piece that this team has been missing for the past couple years, so it’s really nice to see that.”
Togneri’s seventh inning walk-off came at the end of a marathon game in the circle for her. She had to throw 95 pitches before sealing the win, more than once watching Hudson leads slip away.
The game opened with an early lead for Hudson when Sydney Chiasson stole home for the Hawks in the first inning. Togneri and the Hawks defense held Nashoba off the scoreboard until the third inning, at which point the Chieftains tied the game on an Amanda Suelski RBI single to right field. The Hawks and Chieftains traded runs in the fourth and fifth innings before heading to the seventh inning with Hudson leading 3-2.
Togneri opened the inning on a high note, striking out Rachel Farley. Victoria Tuttle followed for Nashoba and promptly lined out to a charging Emily White in right field. Down to their final out, Nashoba rallied against the Hawks as each of their next four batters reached base.
The seventh inning included a double for Amanda Suelski, and an error by Hudson outfielder Savanna Filmore that would allow Nashoba to tie the game at three.
“I thought, ‘Hey, I got two outs. I can do this, and it just kinda unravelled a little bit,” Togneri said. “She [Suelski] got a hit, and then their number three batter [Gina Hinkley] came up. There was a little miscommunication between the coaches, the catcher and me, and I just threw it in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Togneri says she was frustrated as she left the field following that inning, but adds that she quickly turned her attention to her upcoming at bat.
“All I needed to do was get three outs, and we wouldn’t be doing this,” she said. “But once I got to the dugout, I realized it was the top of the order, and I was bound to get up to bat. I had to put everything behind me and go forward knowing I had a chance to fix what just happened.”
After Steph Hamilton hit a one-out double to centerfield, senior Haley Gaffney came to bat and was intentionally walked by Nashoba pitcher Taylor Colvin. Hamilton stole third during the walk, setting the stage for Togneri’s walkoff.
“I knew that I didn’t need to kill the ball,” Togneri said. “I just needed to get a hit, and it would be over.”
Togneri turned on the second pitch she saw and drove the ball out of the infield. An ecstatic Coach Cashman ran behind Hamilton as she easily scored from third base.
Hamilton, who ran, arms outstretched, into a mob of teammates at home plate, was awarded the tournament MVP award after the game. Her hit in Thursday’s game, as well as an acrobatic play on defense in which she chased a Nashoba runner down the third base line to tag her out, complimented the single and stolen base that she racked up in Tuesday’s win over Framingham.
After the game, Hamilton noted how Thursday’s win came directly after a resolution to some team infighting that occurred before the first pitch.
“It really makes me feel good to be captain,” she said. “Before this game, we were able to clear things up. We had been arguing about starting positions, but we were able to come together. I felt a lot better now that I have my whole team with me.”
After the win, Coach Cashman spoke generally about the differences in team morale between the undefeated start to this season and the 0-4 start to last season.
“What’s very important is that these guys know that they can win,” Cashman said. “These guys know that they can go into their league games and win. It’s so much better than feeling defeated and feeling like we have to go and get momentum.”
