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YORK, Maine — With runners on second and third and an eight-run lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, York High School softball coach Kevin Giannino gave Sarah Orso a simple message as she stepped into the batter’s box - take us home.Orso did just that, crushing a line drive to left-center to score Maya Babcock and Piper Catanese and lift the second-seeded Wildcats to a 12-2, win over No. 7 Mountain Valley in a Class B South quarterfinal at York High School.
York led 8-2 entering the sixth. After Catanese doubled in two runs, Orso drove in two more to end the game via the 10-run rule.“I knew my teammates got on base before,” Orso said. “I knew we just needed a couple more runs, so I wasn’t trying to hit a home run — just put the ball in play and get a hit to help us win.”“I just told Sarah, ‘Let’s go home,’” Giannino said. “And she lit into one … just drilled a line shot up the middle for a double.”York will host the winner of No. 3 Lake Region and No. 6 Erskine Academy on Saturday, June 13 in a regional semifinal. The Wildcats split the regular-season series with Lake Region (1-1) and did not face Erskine.
The win was York’s 10th in a row, improving the Wildcats to 16-1.“Really just a group effort,” York shortstop Piper Catanese said. “We made the plays when they came to us, had a lot of hits, found the gaps and took extra bases. Just being aggressive at all times, defensively and offensively.”Senior first baseman Maddie Fitzgerald said York attacked from the start despite facing an unfamiliar opponent.“We were kind of blind going into it, but I think we did a good job of attacking the pitcher,” Fitzgerald said. “And (Orso) did a great job on the mound. All the work we’ve put in this season is what got us here.
Batting cleanup, Fitzgerald led off the second with a single — the first of her three hits. She added a two-run homer in the third and a two-run double in the fourth, finishing with four RBIs. She also drew a walk in the fifth.“Maddie put the hammer down — that (home run) was a big hit,” Giannino said. “It’s what she’s done her entire career.”Giannino added that Fitzgerald had been looking forward to the game all week and “delivered in a big way.”“My first at-bat wasn’t the best, but I just focused on seeing my pitch and driving it,” Fitzgerald said.
Orso pitched six innings, striking out five and shutting out Mountain Valley from the second through the fifth innings. The Falcons scored once in the first and sixth.“I still trusted our team, and I knew that first run wouldn’t affect us,” Orso said. “I just focused on getting the next out.”
Giannino said Orso found another level once she settled in.“I think when runners get on, she kicks it into another gear,” Giannino said. “She bears down, and we have outstanding fielders behind her. I thought Maya at second base made a couple tough ground balls look easy.”Sara Hanscom put York on the board with a two-run single in the second for a 2-1 lead. Fitzgerald’s homer made it 4-1 in the third, and York's four-run fourth broke the game open.In that inning, Fitzgerald’s two-run double keyed the rally, while Catanese singled and scored as the Wildcats built their 8-1 lead.“I think we’re pumped — we’re just going to keep the momentum going,” Catanese said. “The bats have to stay hot, make the plays when they’re there … we’re excited.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Maine softball, York's Orso delivers walk-off regional quarterfinal win
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York led 8-2 entering the sixth. After Catanese doubled in two runs, Orso drove in two more to end the game via the 10-run rule.“I knew my teammates got on base before,” Orso said. “I knew we just needed a couple more runs, so I wasn’t trying to hit a home run — just put the ball in play and get a hit to help us win.”“I just told Sarah, ‘Let’s go home,’” Giannino said. “And she lit into one … just drilled a line shot up the middle for a double.”York will host the winner of No. 3 Lake Region and No. 6 Erskine Academy on Saturday, June 13 in a regional semifinal. The Wildcats split the regular-season series with Lake Region (1-1) and did not face Erskine.
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The win was York’s 10th in a row, improving the Wildcats to 16-1.“Really just a group effort,” York shortstop Piper Catanese said. “We made the plays when they came to us, had a lot of hits, found the gaps and took extra bases. Just being aggressive at all times, defensively and offensively.”Senior first baseman Maddie Fitzgerald said York attacked from the start despite facing an unfamiliar opponent.“We were kind of blind going into it, but I think we did a good job of attacking the pitcher,” Fitzgerald said. “And (Orso) did a great job on the mound. All the work we’ve put in this season is what got us here.
Fitzgerald drives in four runs
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Batting cleanup, Fitzgerald led off the second with a single — the first of her three hits. She added a two-run homer in the third and a two-run double in the fourth, finishing with four RBIs. She also drew a walk in the fifth.“Maddie put the hammer down — that (home run) was a big hit,” Giannino said. “It’s what she’s done her entire career.”Giannino added that Fitzgerald had been looking forward to the game all week and “delivered in a big way.”“My first at-bat wasn’t the best, but I just focused on seeing my pitch and driving it,” Fitzgerald said.
Orso solid in the circle
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Orso pitched six innings, striking out five and shutting out Mountain Valley from the second through the fifth innings. The Falcons scored once in the first and sixth.“I still trusted our team, and I knew that first run wouldn’t affect us,” Orso said. “I just focused on getting the next out.”
Giannino said Orso found another level once she settled in.“I think when runners get on, she kicks it into another gear,” Giannino said. “She bears down, and we have outstanding fielders behind her. I thought Maya at second base made a couple tough ground balls look easy.”Sara Hanscom put York on the board with a two-run single in the second for a 2-1 lead. Fitzgerald’s homer made it 4-1 in the third, and York's four-run fourth broke the game open.In that inning, Fitzgerald’s two-run double keyed the rally, while Catanese singled and scored as the Wildcats built their 8-1 lead.“I think we’re pumped — we’re just going to keep the momentum going,” Catanese said. “The bats have to stay hot, make the plays when they’re there … we’re excited.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Maine softball, York's Orso delivers walk-off regional quarterfinal win
Continue reading...
