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Ketcham bats explode vs. Hen Hud
MONTROSE, N.Y. – It only takes one.
It’s a phrase heard in baseball and softball regularly, but it’s usually directed at a batter with two strikes. On Friday afternoon, it was the perfect saying for the R.C. Ketcham softball team. It only took one inning for the Indians to turn a tied game in the fifth inning into a 21-4 victory. The Indians scored eight runs in the fifth to open up the massive lead. The rally was led by Emily Padilla’s two-run double and capped by freshman Andrea Bombace’s first of two homeruns.
“We’ve been practicing against really fast pitching so we had to get used to her, but she had a good changeup and was a good pitcher,” Bombace said. “We just came together and said let’s keep our weight back and let it come to us.”
Back-to-back walks with one out kick started the rally, and the bottom of the order delivered. Victoria Pippa and Taylor Travis hit RBI-singles to give Ketcham the lead for good. Padilla, who finished with four hits and four runs batted in laced a double scoring two runs to make it 8-4. Marlene Cuevas (3-RBIs) added an RBI-single before Bombace’s blast made it 12-4.
“Once we started recognizing that changeup the hits started coming,” Bombace said. “I was in a slump to start the year and that first homerun brought me out of it.”
Ketcham continued to pour the hits and runs on in the sixth and seventh innings as well. Bombace hit her second blast during a 6-run rally in the sixth inning.
“I guess I’m out of my slump now,” Bombace said. “She put it right where I like it though.”
Hen Hud started the game with a 2-0 lead in the first inning with four hits led by Juli Gaspar’s RBI-double. Shortstop Cassidy Boyle finished 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored for the Sailors. Ketcham answered back with four runs in the second inning highlighted by Padilla’s two-run single.
“I just try to make things happen as the leadoff hitter,” Padilla said. “Today, we focused on being aggressive at the plate.”
Hen Hud tied the game in the third inning behind an RBI-single from Gabby Caruso, but Ketcham pitcher Abby Canning started a nifty double play to get out of the inning. She threw a complete game seven-hitter with nine strikeouts.
Ketcham moves to 3-0 on the season and is looking for more.
“Even though we have a lot of new players this year, we expect to play well,” Padilla said. “We want to take this thing all the way.”
BOX SCORE
Ketcham
2B- Emily Padilla, Casey Herzog, Victoria Pippa, Alex Pagan. HR- Bombace 2. RBI- Padilla 4, Canning, Cuevas 3, Bombace 5, Herzog, Kristin Chauvin, Pagan 2, Taylor Travis. Runs- Padilla 3, Canning, Cuevas 3, Bombace 2, Herzog, Pippa 3, Chauvin 3, Pagan 2, Travis 3.
Hen Hud
2B- Cassidy Boyle, Juli Gaspar. RBI- Gaspar 2, Kristen Velez, Gabby Caruso. Runs- Megan Jahoda 2, Boyle 2.
Contact John Malone on Twitter: @MSGV_Malone
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