LUNENBURG – The Tyngsboro softball team showed Thursday afternoon why its one of the top squads in Massachusetts.
The visiting Tigers smashed 13 hits on their way to a 13-2 victory over Lunenburg at Marshall Park.
Tyngsboro is now 8-1, while the Blue Knights suffer their first setback and fell to 4-1.
“Tyngsboro is a very good hitting team and we knew that coming in,” Blue Knights head coach Josh Koziol said. “Although I felt like we hurt ourselves more than their bats did. With passed balls and other little mistakes. Tyngsboro is too good of a team and they will build off those mistakes.”
Tigers’ pitcher Kiley Hogan went the distance in the circle, limiting the Blue Knights to two runs (one earned run) on three hits and five walks while striking out eight batters.
Lunenburg’s Aria McCarthy got the ball for the hosts and battled her way through seven innings. McCarthy walked five and struck out six.
“It was probably her worst pitching performance of the season. She normally has better control than she did today,” said Koziol. “It can be frustrating when you face an elite hitting lineup like Tyngsboro and you can’t the corners called and you have to throw it down the middle.”
Tyngsboro grabbed control as it plated five runs in the top of the first inning before adding a single run in the third, four more in the fourth and another in the fifth to open a commanding 11-0 advantage.
The Blue Knights broke up the shutout when they plated their first run in the home half of the fifth inning. Lilly Grebinar recorded an RBI when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The play allowed Maddie Martins, who drew a walk earlier in the inning, to score and put Lunenburg on the scoreboard and make it 11-1.
After the Tigers scored two more runs in the seventh, Lunenburg would score once more in its final at bat. Julie DiPerri reached on an error to open the frame. A groundout by Chloe Koziol pushed DiPerri to second base before a hit by Julia Grebinar (1-for-1, 3BB) moved DiPerri to third base.
Grebinar picked up her second RBI when she plated DiPerri with a sacrifice fly to left field to make it 13-2.
“I don’t think Tyngsboro is a 13-2 team better than us. We’ve been competitive with them, we haven’t won, but we’ve been in competitive games with them,” said Koziol. “Allowing five runs today in the first inning definitely hurt us.”
Chloe Koziol was an offensive bright spot for the Blue Knights, finishing 2-for-4 with a double and single.
Deb Amico (4-for-5, double, 3 runs), Kristen Deschenes (2-for-4, double, 3 runs) and Hogan (2-for-3, 4 RBI) led the offense for Tyngsboro.
“I thought Martins played well out in right field today. She made a couple of big catches,” said Josh Koziol, “Offensively, we were fine one through three but our inexperience at the bottom of the order hurt us.”
It’s a quick turnaround for the Lunenburg squad as it returns to action on Friday afternoon when it travels to Marlboro to visit the unbeaten Eagles of Advanced Math and Science Academy.
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