The wins continue to pile up for the Gloucester softball team.
On Wednesday, Northeastern Conference rival Swampscott was next in the pecking order for the Fishermen, and the Big Blue suffered the same fate that so many of their league counterparts already have.
Led by another stellar pitching performance from freshman Abby Noble, as well as a balanced offensive attack, Gloucester secured an 11-5 road victory.
With the win, head coach Bryan Aiello’s group moves to 12-2 with six games remaining.
“Yes, we’ve won three straight, are 12-2 so far overall which we are obviously happy about. But there’s still a lot to work on,” admitted Aiello, his team still unbeaten in NEC play. “The ultimate goal is to win the conference and make a deep run in the tournament.”
If Gloucester is going to accomplish either of those goals, it’ll take more consistent efforts like Wednesday — and they certainly have the pieces to get it done.
Starting with Noble, who was thrust into an “ace” role as the team’s top pitching option this spring, the Fishermen always seem to be in a good position to win when she heads to the circle. Against the Big Blue, Noble fanned 11 batters in yet another complete game effort; she’s now up to 121 strikeouts on the year and has shown consistent growth as the campaign’s rolled on.
“Abby has been solid from day one,” said Aiello. “Her control and command of the strike zone has been impressive so far as a freshman and she’s only going to get better. The biggest thing for her is her ability to perform under high pressure situations as a freshman.”
Noble’s calmness and poise has undoubtedly helped spark the offense as well. The Fishermen have scored at least seven runs in each of their last three wins (over Masconomet and Saugus being the others). Wednesday was the fifth time they’ve reached double figures in runs.
Mackayla Allen led the charge against Swampscott, recording two hits and driving in three runs. Olivia Madruga added a double and two RBI while Laila Ciarmitaro, Ava Paone and Tasara Frontiero all had a pair of hits. In total, Gloucester connected for 12 hits.
The Fishermen are deep, with players like Emma Carrapichosa, Aleena Brown, Julia Carrancho and others also contributing with regularity this spring.
Already garnering an automatic bid to the Division 3 state tournament via its 10-plus wins, Gloucester will look to close things out strong down the stretch and improve upon their current No. 8 rank. The Fishermen will host Winthrop on Friday (5 p.m.) under the lights before getting right back to it Saturday morning in a make-up game at Salem (10 a.m.). Next week they’ll enjoy a three-game home slate against Beverly, Bedford and North Reading.
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.