HAMPTON, N.H. – With every pitch here late on Saturday afternoon, the stakes rose.
It happens in June. There’s no getting around it.
Salem, which put together seven sparkling innings, saw the softball bounce No. 2 Winnacunnet’s way in the eighth, falling in a Division I quarterfinal Warrior walk-off, 3-2.
“So brutal, that’s softball,” said Salem coach Haley Chandler. “Sometimes it comes down to one swing of the bat. We know that. We won on a walk-off in the regular season in the exact scenario against them.”
Things looked fine for Salem with the score knotted at 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth.
Third baseman Brianna Lucacio had gobbled up a couple chances at third for the first two outs of the frame.
In an instant it was over with a triple and a gapper ending Salem’s season at 15-5.
In the circle, Salem’s pair – starter Bailey Ruel and reliever Michaela Dailey – deserved a better fate.
“They threw awesome. Bailey was great again, and Michaela was awesome,” said Chandler, who brought the freshman Dailey in to start the seventh.
“Michaela was awesome, as she has been for us all season. For a freshman to step into that situation in such a high stakes game, so poised, so confident, she went to work.”
Salem broke the ice almost immediately in a familiar way.
Jenny Olson led the game with a slap single to left, moved to second on a perfect Lucacio sac bunt and scored on Addie Lucier’s hit.
When Winnacunnet turned things around with two in the fourth, Salem answered with a run in the fifth.
Dailey singled, moved up to second on an Olson bunt, and scored on Lucacio’s clutch, two-out single to center.
Defensively, the Blue Devils took turns auditioning for the SportsCenter Top 10. Lucier dazzled at short, Lucacio was nails at third, Angelina Ventullo made an amazing diving play for a force out at second, and left-fielder Maddie Beeley chased everything down in a six-putout performance.