Although the RHS softball tram dropped its two contests last week to open the season, first year head coach Joe Cicarrello said he saw a lot of good things in the two games.
“We have a lot of things to work on to be sure,†said Ciccarello. “There especially are some fundamentals that we need to emphasize that we failed to execute in our first two games. But we had some good pitching, good hitting, and most important, the girls never gave up, and that is a very good sign about this team.â€
In the season opening 10-6 loss to Medford, the Lady Patriots got off to a rocky start as Medford scored four runs in the opening inning. However, the Revere girls bounced back with five tallies of their own in the second frame to take a 5-4 advantage.
A four run Medford rally in the bottom of the second set the Lady Pats back by an 8-4 margin which they were unable to overcome, though not for a lack of trying. Revere left eight runners on base in the final three frames, including the bases loaded twice and a second and third situation.
Sara Selevitch (who was the starting pitcher and deserved a better fate, but was victimized by poor fielding support behind her), led the offense with two hits. Ciccarello also praised the efforts of Jess Simpson and Cassandra Petrola.
In the 14-6 defeat to another former GBL rival, Everett, the Lady Patriots fell behind early, trailing 4-0 after four frames, but battled back with two runs in each of the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings.
“The Everett pitcher had a perfect game against us through four innings,.†said Ciccarello, “but we never gave up and battled her all the way. It was good to see us not quit and show that kind of fight all the way to the end.â€
Briana Lauletta started the game for Revere and like Selevitch, did not receive good fielding support, as the Revere defense allowed too many Everett bunts to fill the bases and set the stage for big innings.
Ciccarello and his charges were set to host Salem yesterday (Tuesday) and then travel to Salem tomorrow. The vacation week will see the Lady Patriots travel to Waltham Monday morning; host Lynn Classical Wednesday afternoon; and host Beverly Friday morning.