BY GENE DELORENZO
PROCTOR — Proctor softball came from behind to beat Green Mountain, 14-9, on a cold and windy afternoon, Thursday, April 28 at the Phantoms’ field.
Despite a three-run first inning rally by the home squad, a game and talented Green Mountain team battled back to take a 7-3 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth. Green Mountain had taken the lead when a two-out, no one on base rally plated five runs for the team from Chester, giving them the four-run lead.
But Proctor came right back on a succession of walks and errors and one base hit – a single by Jenna Davine – that gave the Phantoms a chance to stay close to the Green Mountain team heading into the fifth.
In that frame, after two more runs came across for Green Mountain, the Phantoms once again stayed within hailing distance as they scored two on a ringing double by right fielder Rhi Lubaszewski. And, after starting pitcher Cadence Goodwin held Green Mountain scoreless in the top of the sixth, the Phantoms would put together a big rally to score six times to take a 14-9 lead into the seventh inning.
Goodwin would again shut down the visitors in the seventh aided by a brilliant double play engineered by her shortstop Angel Traverse on a sharp line drive with two on and no one out for Green Mountain. A foot either way and the game might have gone on and on!
The sixth inning uprising for Proctor featured a two-run single by Goodwin and another two-out, two-RBI hit by Lubaszewski. The clutch hitting overcame a strong effort by the visitors and the Proctor team had to dig down to fuel the victory in this extremely cold and challenging day for softball in Vermont!
For Proctor, Maggie McKearin had four walks and scored four times at the leadoff spot. Goodwin went 2 for 5 with two RBIs, Laci French played a strong third base and was 2 for 4 at the plate, and Lubaszewski’s heroics produced four RBIs. Angel Traverse had a single and an RBI, while Jasmine Traverse also had a single on the day.
Always a fun game, the battle between West Rutland and Proctor softball will take place on Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at the Proctor field.
