STAMFORD - The pitching was sharp, the defense was stingy and the offense was in a groove … but after three games in the Connecticut Babe Ruth Softball state tournament the Newtown 14-year-old All Stars simply ran out of steam.
STAMFORD â The pitching was sharp, the defense was stingy and the offense was in a groove ⦠but after three games in the Connecticut Babe Ruth Softball state tournament the Newtown 14-year-old All Stars simply ran out of steam.
The Hawks defeated New Canaan (11-1), Weston (14-6) and Terryville (1-0) to reach the tournament championship. But while facing Norwalk, which had to work its way out of the loserâs bracket, the Newtown offense was stymied, the defense was spotty, and the pitching wasnât so sharp.
Thatâs softball.
âWe hit the ball hard (against Norwalk),â said head coach Rich Van Waalwijk, âbut they just made the plays. That was a good defensive team. They took seven or eight hits away from us. And in the second game we just couldnât get the bats going.â
The Hawks were on the move from the first game, though. In the win over New Canaan, Grills was 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI while Lisa Alberico was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. Mariale Renna fired a two-hitter, striking out 10 batters.
In the win over Weston, Ally Kirk and Alberico each went 2-for-4 while Meredith Palo went 2-for-3. Jenna Van Waalwijk and Renna combined on a two-hitter with Van Waalwijk striking out two batters in two innings of work and Renna striking out 11 in five innings of work.
The semi-final win over Terryville â the team that knocked the Hawks out of the state tournament in 2002 â was a classic pitcherâs duel. Renna tossed a complete-game two-hitter, striking out six batters, while Van Waalwijk and Grills collected the only two Newtown hits.
Grillsâ hit in the fifth inning, though, was the key. Grills singled and Rachel Warburton â a pinch runner â stole second and then took third base and home when the throw from home squirted through the infield and past the centerfielder.
Grills also caught the entire game and gunned down two Terryville runners attempting to steal second.
The Hawks just ran out of luck after that.
Renna was named the teamâs tournament Most Valuable Player for her efforts. Grills was named MVP of the initial win over New Canaan.