The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) girls’ varsity softball team got walloped Tuesday afternoon by a very strong Coyle and Cassidy in a home league contest in front of a supportive crowd under comfortable weather conditions.
The loss followed 12-9 and 28-6 losses on Sunday, in a double-header against the Newbury Triton Vikings. The team record stands at 1-4 this season.
Head coach Donald Herman said that the lack of a softball youth program on the Vineyard is a major obstacle in the ability of the high school team to be competitive. “I have yet to beat an EAC (Eastern Athletic Conference) team,” he said.
“Basically, now the girls are starting here without any softball experience, and that puts us at a tremendous, and I do mean tremendous, disadvantage — especially within our league, because our league opponents are very, very good,” said Mr. Herman. “At some point we’re going to have to revitalize the youth program, because I don’t think the program can survive successfully without it.”
Junior shortstop Emily Turney was the player of the day, with multiple dead-stop catches of major drives and pop-ups, or picking off the ball easily from a bounce with a precision throw to first base for the out. Emily has played Little League baseball and has played travel softball. “She plays year-round, and you can tell,” said Mr. Herman.
Mr. Herman also pointed out the skills of four-year varsity player Mariah Duarte. “You can see the difference,” said Coach Herman.
The starting pitcher Tuesday was Jessica Sonia. Julia “J.B.” Bettencourt was behind the plate.
Varsity softball is a young team. There are only two seniors, two juniors, and seven sophomores. This year 30 girls arrived for tryouts. “That’s positive, that’s encouraging,” Mr. Herman told The Times.
The first inning was uneventful, with Coyle and Cassidy only getting two runs versus the Vineyard’s zero. In the second inning, however, it quickly became apparent that things were going to get ugly.
In the top of the second inning, Coyle and Cassidy went through their entire lineup, with 10 at-bats. They kept the bases loaded four times. There was one grand slam that brought the Coyle lead to 9-0, and there was not yet an out.
Throughout the next three innings, Coyle was just plain good at getting on base and bringing girls home. They closed out the fourth inning up 17-0.
In the fifth and final inning, Coyle had their turn at three up and three down, quickly turning over the at-bat turn to the Vineyarders. The first out was a pop-up caught by Mariah Duarte, the second out was a clean stop and flawless throw to first base by Emily Turney, and the third out was a big outfield hit caught by Sam Robinson.
The Vineyard took the plate at the bottom of the fifth, but it was not meant to be. In the closest they ever got to scoring, with Jessica Sonia on third and Emma Bunker on second, the following two teammates struck out, and then Emily Turney had a big hit but it was caught.
The game was called at the end of the fifth inning with a final score of 17-0 Coyle and Cassidy.
“There will be games in which we have opportunities to be in,” Mr. Herman told The Times after the game.
Girls softball next plays away Thursday, April 16, versus Dennis-Yarmouth, and are away again after the school break at Somerset Berkley on Tuesday, April 28. Next home contest is Monday, May 4, against Madison Park Vocational High School at 3 pm.