Housatonic softball beats Webutuck 16-3

FALLS VILLAGE — The battle for the border between Housatonic Valley Regional High School and Webutuck High School Thursday, May 2, was won by HVRHS with a score of 16-3.

The New Yorkers played their Connecticut counterparts close early on and commanded the lead in the second inning. Errors plagued the Webutuck Warriors as the game went on, while the HVRHS Mountaineers stayed disciplined and finished strong.

The sun was beating down as the game got underway in Falls Village. A cloudless sky led to a toasty match between these two teams with temperatures hovering around 76 degrees. Gnats were also hovering around.

Diana Portillo played second base for HVRHS.Riley Klein

Looking to earn its first win of the season, Webutuck got off to a good start. A line drive by Aria Griskauskus brought Ciara “C.C.” Gray home. Housatonic responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to keep the game even through one.

Webutuck retook the lead in the second inning when Abby McEnroe logged an RBI on a bunt. The lead persisted until the bottom of the third inning, when HVRHS took over.

Fueled by powerful hitting and a series of errors by the Warriors, HVRHS piled on four runs in the third to pull ahead 5-2.

The score remained until the fifth inning when the Mountaineers climbed ahead. Haley Leonard got the inning rolling with a solo home run. Abby White sent Hadley Casey home on a single before Kylie Leonard brought White home with a double.

Webutuck scored its third run of the game in the top of the sixth inning. Olivia Wickwire hit an RBI double to bring the score to 8-3.

Housatonic responded by “finding the barrel,” as Coach Pete Foley instructed from third base. The Mountaineers swung for the fences and tacked on eight more runs.

Grace Riva slid safely into home in the sixth inning.Riley Klein

The game ended by a 16-3 decision in favor of HVRHS. The Mountaineers’ record advanced to 7-5 this season while Webutuck moved to 0-8.

“We’re in a good spot,” said Foley on his team’s performance. “We’ve got a chance to be where we want to be, but we need to get more bats going.”

HVRHS was led offensively by Haley Leonard, who hit 4-for-5 at the plate and brought in three RBIs in addition to her solo home run. Grace Riva batted 3-for-5 with three RBIs, Kylie Leonard hit 2-for-3 with two RBIs, Madison Gulotta hit 1-for-4 with two RBIs, and Anne Moran hit 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Anne Moran pitched four strikeouts for the Mountaineers.

For Webutuck, Abby McEnroe went 2-for-4 at bat with one RBI, Aria Griskouskus hit 1-for-3 with an RBI, and C.C. Gray batted 2-for-3. Lyndsay Johnson threw three strikeouts from the hill.

Webutuck Coach Chris Osterman reassured Olivia Wickwire in the loss to HVRHS.Riley Klein