STRATFORD DEFEATS CY RIDGE

Spartans Stay Hot in 18-0 Drubbing

We’ll give credit to the Cy Ridge pitchers where credit is due – they succeeded in throwing strikes. Regrettably for the Rams, the Stratford hitters pounded those strikes to the tune of 13 hits, of which Bella Sulma and Leila Vazquez each contributed 2, and Isla Hildebrand, Allie Richardson, Anna Burgman, Sophia Lozada, Brynn Teixeira, Emerson Hiler, Kenna Wong, Mac York, and Keely Meeks added one. The result was an 18-0 victory for the Spartans, completing a 5-game stretch against overmatched opponents during which Stratford outscored its opponents by an aggregate 66-3.

Brynn Teixeira, stellar all season, demonstrated depth and guile in her pitching portfolio, changing speeds at will and bedeviling the Rams hitters. She pitched two innings, striking out 4 and allowing only a single hit. Jackie Gronauer pitched the final 2 innings and did not concede a hit while striking out 5, unveiling off-speed offerings of her own.

STRATFORD COMPLETES MEMORIAL SWEEP

Spartans Save Best for Last in Season Ender

When it mattered most, the Spartans put together their best game of the year.

The Memorial Mustangs welcomed the Spartans to their home turf with revenge on their mind, after Stratford took the opening leg of their season series in March. The Spartans struck early, with a single by leadoff hitter Kellyn Schuchardt, followed two batters later by Keely Meeks’ 2-run homer over the left centerfield wall. A single by Azalea Moreno and a triple by Brynn Teixeira generated another run, and the Spartans took the field with a 3-0 lead.

Teixeira went to work in the circle against the Mustangs, whose leadoff hitter poked a ground ball to second baseman Anna Burgman’s right and outran the throw to first. After the second batter was hit by a pitch, the third batter lined a ball maliciously toward the right centerfield gap. But Kenna Wong was suddenly there, snaring the ball for the first out. Memorial managed to scrap their way to 3 runs in the inning but could only tie the game.

After the eventful first inning, both teams’ pitchers and defenses settled in. Stratford went down in order in the 2nd, and Memorial did the same, the latter thanks in no small part to Nikki Hodge, who charged in from left field to spear a searing line drive for the inning’s first out.

Meeks led off the Stratford 3rd with a walk, after which Moreno and Leila Vazquez both put ground balls in play that advanced Meeks to third with two outs. When a high fastball eluded the catcher, Meeks made her move, charging home and sliding under the pitcher’s tag to give the Spartans a 4-3 lead, which they would never relinquish.

Teixeira was masterful in the 3rd, mowing down the middle of the Mustangs’ order, and setting the stage for Memorial’s last stand in the 4th. A leadoff double placed the tying run in scoring position with nobody out. When a grounder was slapped to third base, it appeared that the runner would advance to third, but upon Moreno ‘s hard throw to first, Meeks fired back to a wheeling Schuchardt covering third, who made the tag to complete a 5-3-6 double play. Moreno received an encore grounder that she converted routinely, and the game was over.