The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School softball team got off to a 3-0 start but got a tough dose of Eastern Athletic Conference reality in a 16-3 loss to Bishop Stang in the league opener Monday in Oak Bluffs.
The EAC has long been one of the premier softball leagues in the state. The Vineyarders, despite making the state tournament for the past two years, have a 1-32 record in league play since 2009.
Vineyard freshman shortstop Emily Turney provided the only highlights for the home team. She belted a three-run homer well over the center field fence and threw out a Spartan runner while lying on her back.
The Vineyarders compensated for Monday’s loss with inspired play over the weekend. The Purple and White traveled to Cambridge Rindge and Latin on Saturday and routed the Falcons 24-6.
M.V. bashed out 19 hits. Shelby Lavin went 3-for-3 with five RBIs. Miranda Tokarz was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a pair of walks, while Kendall Robinson finished 3-for-6 with four RBIs and a triple. Pitcher Hailee McCarthy picked up her third win and was 3 for 5 with four RBIs.
The previous afternoon, the Vineyarders welcomed Falmouth from across the pond and sent the Clippers back home on the short end of an 8-5 result.
The Vineyarders broke open a 4-4 tie with two runs in the fourth to win their second game in two days, the first being a 12-8 win over Bourne in the season opener.
Hailee McCarthy pitched a complete game, striking out five and walking two. Emily Turney went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, and two RBIs. Emily Cimino was 2-for-4 with a double.
