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05/22/2019 12:00 AMThe Old Saybrook softball team is making a final push to qualify for the postseason after turning in its best week of results this year. The Rams played games against Portland, Northwest Catholic, Morgan, and Valley Regional last week and came away with three wins out of the four to move their record to 7-12 on the season. If Old Saybrook wins its final game, Head Coach Katelyn Livingston’s squad will be on its way to the Shoreline Conference Tournament and the Class S State Tournament.
Regardless of what ultimately happens this year, Coach Livingston is pleased with how her team has turned its fortunes around in down the home stretch.
“We’ve had to be creative with our lineups this year. This was a week that we needed to get us moving in the right direction for the postseason,” said Livingston. “This sport is a roller coaster, and I can’t say enough about how proud I am of these girls.”
On May 14, the Rams earned a 16-3 road win at Portland. Old Saybrook scored three runs in the first inning, and the Highlanders came back with a run in the bottom of the frame to make it 3-1. The Rams added another run in the second, then two more in the third for a 6-1 lead. In the bottom of the third, Portland got a run back, and the lead was cut to 6-2. Each team scored a run to make it 7-3 after four innings, but then the Rams blew it open with a seven-run fifth inning to make it 14-3. The Rams added two more in the sixth, and after Portland couldn’t draw the score closer, Old Saybrook won by virtue of the mercy rule.
Sophomore pitcher Christina Lombardi picked up the win on the mound and struck out five batters. Lombardi also had an impact at the plate producing a hit, three RBI, and two runs scored. Coach Livingston believes that her young pitcher is starting to come into to her own.
“Christina Lombardi threw one of her strongest games against Portland. She’s a young pitcher, and she’s thrown some solid games so far,” Livingston said. “Christina isn’t the most overpowering pitcher, but she has good movement on the ball. When she’s on and hitting her spots, she gets weak pop flies and ground balls.”
Senior captain Maeve Foley went 4-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI. Fellow senior captain Sarah Howley provided a hit, two runs and an RBI. According to Livingston, Foley has been the Rams’ biggest threat at the plate, but her fellow senior captain is no slouch at the plate either. Those factors coupled with their ability to lead have been a huge for the Rams.
“They’re both vocal leaders and are reflective and find the positives and room for growth after a game. They are an extension of the coaching staff,” Livingston said. “When I go to the post-game meeting, they are already starting to run it. They have been part of the program for four years. They are leaders on the field and in the dug out.”
Additionally, junior Taylor Cote went 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBI. Juniors Wendy Bowden and Lexie Root also had a pair of hits for Old Saybrook.
On May 15, the Rams notched an 18-3 road win against Northwest Catholic. Old Saybrook quickly overpowered the Lions and Coach Livingston was able to give several junior varsity players some experience in the field, and it resulted in some nice moments for the younger players.
“We scored 18 runs and I had 17 players in the game that day. It was a full-team effort,” Livingston said. “That was pretty cool. A lot of the younger girls came off the bench, and some got singles in their first varsity at bats. We played a solid defensive game that day.”
Cote came away from the day with three hits, while Lombardi and Foley supplied two hits apiece. Lombardi had another strong outing in the circle, and Coach Livingston believes part of her late-season success is the result of her battery-mate junior catcher Rachel Baldi.
“Rachel has done a tremendous job this year behind the plate. She’s a steady leader working with a young pitcher,” said Livingston. “She picks balls out of the dirt because she’s an extremely hard worker who has improved a tremendous amount from where she started. I’m excited to get both her and Christina back next year. I think they can dominate in this league.”
On May 16, Old Saybrook played a much closer contest at Morgan and claimed a 10-6 road win versus the Huskies. Old Saybrook got out to an early 5-1 lead after the first inning. Morgan scored a run in the second to make it 5-2, but could never get the lead any closer than three runs. Cote slugged her fifth home run of the season going 2-for-4 on the day, and Bowden had a 3-for-3 showing at the plate.
Coach Livingston knew that Morgan would be a tough matchup, even though the Rams already had a win against the Huskies earlier in the year. It was also the team’s third consecutive road contest in as many days, but Old Saybrook was up to the task.
“We played pretty well against them last time we saw them, but we knew that they weren’t a team to be taken lightly. We knew we had to come ready to play,” said Livingston. “With all these road games, we came with the mentality that we get to hit first, so we knew we get to score first. We came out swinging and that gave us a lot of momentum.”
The Rams closed the week with an 11-1 road loss against an undefeated Valley Regional squad.
Now that Coach Livingston has seen her squad run off a nice three-game winning streak earlier in the week, she hopes the Rams can put it all together for one final win and to earn some postseason play.
“We’re searching for that one last win to qualify for Shorelines and the state tournament,” said Livingston. “If there was ever a time to go out and get one, it would be now.”
• The Old Saybrook softball team’s varsity roster includes senior captains Maeve Foley and Sarah Howley; juniors Rachel Baldi, Wendy Bowden, Taylor Cote, and Lexie Root; sophomores Kendall Kollmer, Christina Lombardi, Jenna Tully, and Emiley Wilson; and freshman Cassei Johson.
• Katelyn Livingston is in her third season as head coach of the Rams. Old Saybrook’s assistant coaches are Lauren MacDonald and Sarah Thompson.
• The Rams have notched wins against Westbrook (21-2 and 18-6), Portland (16-4 and 16-3), Morgan (14-2 and 10-6), and Northwest Catholic (18-3) this season.