Claremont
Windsor, which entered the game at 0-8, having been outscored 136-33, took a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth on a Becca Rumrill home run. But the Jacks were denied the opportunity for a victory when the Cardinals got a RBI single from Ashlynn Marsh and a two-out, game-winning double from Jenna Pond in the home half of the eighth.
Both teams have been trying to restructure their softball programs. Stevens went 0-16 a year ago and brought back Missy Nichols to run the show after year’s absence. The Cards now are within one game of .500 at 3-4.
Windsor, which four years ago was in the Vermont Division III championship game, is rebuilding from the ground up, with underclassmen all over the place. Each team had six freshmen on the roster on Monday.
There were tense moments all game long as neither team could bunch hits. Stevens seemed to be fooled by the soft serves of Rumrill, who lobbed the ball to the plate for the first four innings. She was touched for a couple of runs early but finished with three shutout innings before being replaced by home schooler Katie Harriman, who threw a little bit harder.
“We haven’t seen pitching like that this year,” said Nichols, whose team is facing a five-game week.
Rumrill slugged a home run to right center to open the eighth for a 4-3 lead. Windsor threatened to get more as Naila Thompson walked, was sacrificed to second and went to third on an infield out, but there she stayed as Stevens hurler Sarah Ruest got a strikeout.
With one down in the Stevens eighth, Emma Shea reached on a bunt single, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. She was still there as Harriman got a strikeout, leaving Windsor one out away from its first victory.
However, Marsh crushed the upset bid with a run-producing single to tie the game and went to second on a wild pitch before freshman Pond hit the ball over the left fielder’s head to end the game.
“I was happy that Jenna got the big hit,” Nichols said. “We have her bunt a lot.”
Nichols also knew that her team was fortunate to get the win, but a bit mystified about the offense. “We’ve got some hitters here,” she said.
Stevens used two freshmen pitchers. In addition to Ruest, who went the final five innings, Madison Lapsley went the first three. Stevens does have an ample supply of pitchers and will need them as they play Mascoma today, Newport twice on Wednesday and host Hillboro-Deering on Friday.
Despite the loss, it was an encouraging day for Windsor.
“We made some plays on defense, and I was glad the middle of our lineup hit the ball,” Windsor coach Phil Hathorn said. “We’ll be working on that tomorrow.”
Windsor took a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Rumrill and Alyssa Russo had run-producing singles. Stevens got one back in the second as Marti Milan, who had three hits, doubled and scored when Shea was being thrown out at first.
The Cards tied it in the fourth on an Alexis Ford base hit.
Windsor went back in front in the fifth on an Emily Anderson single, and Stevens drew level again in sixth as the offensive hero, Pond, had a game-tying single.
Windsor goes to Bellows Falls on Wednesday.