Staples Softball Falls To Ludlowe, 7-1, In Rain-Delayed Game

The Staples High School softball team couldn't do much against Ludlowe starter Becky Foster.

The result was a 7-1 loss to the Falcons in a CIAC Class LL first-round contest completed Wednesday in Fairfield.

Ludlowe (15-6) advanced to play at No. 6 seed Glastonbury (17-3) on Thursday afternoon at 4 in the second round.

The game was picked up in the top of the third inning on Wednesday at Sturges Park after two separate lighting storms forced the game to be delayed twice Tuesday.

Foster was able to pitch out of trouble twice in the game. First, in the third inning, Staples had a runner on second base with one out, before Foster struck out Courtney Garzone and Nicole Bukovsky to end the inning.

The Wreckers again threatened in the fourth when freshman Margaret Mills reached third on a double and a stolen base with no outs, before Foster got the next three hitters to fly out.

After allowing only one run and pitching a complete game the,  senior pitcher was the talk among the coaches after the game.

Fosster's pitching certainly impressed Staples coach Mark Giordano, who team concluded the season at 9-10.

"Foster is a very solid player," he said.  

The Falcons jumped on the scoreboard first in the second inning with an RBI single from Perazzini, which scored Rachel Ehrlich. That was all the scoring before the game was suspended.

Ludlowe picked up right where it left off in the third inning by scoring four runs.  Foster delivered an RBI double to help her cause, freshman Emily Nelson ripped an RBI triple, Kirsten Guerrero added a sacrifice fly and Ehrlich smacked a home run to make it 5-0.  

 Jesslyn Lammert's RBI in the fourth made it 6-0 Ludlowe before Staples was finally able to get on the board in the sixth inning on an RBI single from Alexandra Masiello.

The final run of the game came on an RBI single by Ehrlich, her second of the day, in the bottom of the sixth. The Falcons then started looking ahead to their next opponent.