FALL RIVER, MA – Down to its last out and trailing by two, the Dartmouth softball team battled back to pull off a 10-8 victory over host Durfee in Southeast Conference action at the Kuss Middle School field. With the win, The Indians improve to 4-5 on the year and 1-1 in the SEC. Durfee falls to 1-7 overall and 0-3 in conference play.

Pitcher Megan Arruda earned the win for Dartmouth. She pitched the first three innings and re-entered to throw the final two. She allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits, while striking five and walking three. Broke Silvia went the distance for Durfee.

The Indians collected 15 hits in the game, led by Kalisa Pomfret, who went 5-for-5 on the day, scoring twice. Lily Gioiosa had three hits and three runs scored for Dartmouth, while Kathryn Lancaster and Sofia Dias had two each.

Katerina Rumsey, Sadie Fitzgerald and Niyah Boone all had two hits for the Hilltoppers. Fitzgerald’s last hit was a clutch, two-out, two-run blast that put Durfee on up 8-6 in the bottom of the sixth inning. Rachael Silva reached base in three of four at-bats, stole a base and scored three times.

Dartmouth, playing aggressively on the base paths, managed to plate single runs in each of the first three innings to grab a 3-1 lead. Durfee struggled with men on base early but managed to score once in the bottom the fourth to pull within a run.

Dartmouth then hit the ball hard in the fifth, scoring three runs to push its lead to 6-2. Pomfret, Gioiosa and Desirae Paiva all had hits in the frame. Durfee finally ended its futility with runners on base to tie the game with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Rumsey led off with a triple down the left field line. Silva walked and stole second. Mia Jacob then walked to load the bases. A sacrifice fly brought in a run and Brooke Macedo’s double scored two more. Macedo later scored on a fielder’s choice to even the score at six.

The bottom of the sixth started promisingly for Durfee as Rumsey and Silva both reached. A brilliant foul ball catch by Gioiosa who then threw for a double play appeared to thwart the threat. However, Fitzgerald then launched her two-run blast, scoring Silva ahead of her.

While Durfee, losers of six straight going in, had dreams of victory, Dartmouth had other ideas. Durfee got the leadoff batter but the Indians managed to load the bases with two outs. A pair of shots to the gap in right center brought all those runners in and Dartmouth added one more to go up by two. Arruda closed the door in the bottom of the inning for the win.

Bridgewater, MA – It started out as a back-and-forth affair but the Bridgewater-Raynham softball team managed to continue to pile up the hits and post a convincing, 18-6 victory over visiting Durfee in Southeast Conference play. The win improves the Lady Trojans’ record to 3-5 on the season but they are off to a 2-0 start in SEC action. Durfee meanwhile, has now lost six straight to fall to 1-6 on the year, 0-2 in the SEC.

Pitcher Lilly Welch picked up the win in relief. She held the Hilltoppers scoreless over four innings of work. Emma Talpey had four hits to lead the B-R attack. Leadoff hitter, Taylor Feist had three hits and scored two runs. Sadie Fitzgerald and Niyah Boone had two hits each for Durfee.

Early on, it looked like it might be the Hilltoppers’ day. They grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, when freshman Kat Rumsey led the game off with a single and came all the way around to score on Fitzgerald’s towering double to left-center. B-R came back quickly though, scoring two in the bottom of the frame to grab the lead. Feist, Taylor Reid and Talpey had hits in the rally that was aided by a Durfee error.

The Hilltoppers stormed back in the second, scoring three times to take a 4-2 lead. Emily Curran’s single was followed by back-to-back doubles from Boone and Selena Perreira for two Durfee runs. Freshman Rachael Silva then singled to center to score Perreira. The Lady Trojans then took advantage of Durfee miscues to score four times of their own and go up 6-4.

Durfee managed to come back to tie the game in the third on Brooke Macedo’s two-run blast over the fence in left that also brought in Fitzgerald, who had singled to lead off the inning. B-R then made a pitching change, brining in the hard-throwing Welch, who shut down the Hilltopper offense the rest of the way.

While Durfee failed to score the rest of the way, B-R continued to pile up the runs. The Lady Trojans scored four in the bottom of the third and then broke the game wide open with six runs in the fifth. B-R added two more in the sixth to end the contest via the 12-run mercy rule.

Images from the game

Two of the area’s top softball teams went at it and New Bedford saw its season-opening, four-game winning streak come to an end with a tight, 3-2 loss to visiting Apponequet Regional. The Whalers fell to 4-1 with the loss, while Apponequet improved to 3-1.

Apponequet sophomore pitcher, Lauren Bernaiche out-dueled New Bedford’s standout senior Lilly Gray to earn the win. Bernaiche struck out 10 batters in the contest, while allowing six hits. Gray was similarly impressive, also striking out 10, while yield five hits.

The Whalers fell behind 2-0 in the fourth when Bernaiche singled and Laker freshman Christina Magnett blasted a two-run homer. In the bottom of the frame, a bases-loaded walk allowed the Whalers to cut its deficit in half but Apponequet similarly earned that back on a bases loaded walk of its own in the sixth. New Bedford made it 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth when Jenna Nogueira’s sacrifice bunt plated a run but that would be all for the Whalers, who stranded 10 baserunners in the game.

The young Durfee High softball team showed signs of marked improvement despite falling to talented New Bedford Vocational, 9-1. The Hilltoppers, who have been on the losing end of a few mercy rule games lately, including a 22-1 thrashing at the hands of New Bedford Voke recently, played solid all-around ball and was trailing The Bears by just a 3-1 margin in the sixth inning.

Durfee received a solid outing from sophomore pitcher, Emily Curran, who was making her first career start. The southpaw hurler kept Voc-Tech at bay most of the way before the Bears broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth. The Topper defense, which has been inconsistent early this season, was rock solid, eliminating the big inning that has plagued them at times.

Durfee managed to have baserunners on often, including a bases loaded, no outs situation and the top of the order up but Voke pitcher Madison Medeiros was able to pitch out of several jams. In total she allowed one earned run on three hits, while walking four and striking out 12. The lone Hilltopper run came on a solo shot blast to center field by Brooke Macedo.

New Bedford Cable Network Game Video

Fall River – The Somerset High softball team started its 2022 campaign a bit later than most teams but certainly made a great first impression, as the visiting Blue Raiders dominated Durfee High 12-1 in a five-inning affair at the Kuss Middle School field. With the loss, Durfee falls to 1-3 on the year.

Somerset was held scoreless in the first inning but batted around in the second inning, scoring six runs. The Raiders then added four more in the third to break the game open. That was more than enough for pitcher Gabriella Nugent, who gave up just four hits, while striking out six, walking one and hitting a batter.

Nugent also got the job done at the plate, going 4-for-4, including a towering two-run homer to centerfield during the Raiders’ second inning six-run surge.

Durfee starting pitcher Brooke Silvia worked the first two innings before being relieved by Emily Curran. The Hilltoppers got two hits from senior catcher Sadie Fitzgerald, who knocked in the lone Durfee run and one each from freshman first baseman Katerina Rumsey and Curran.

“Our girls are young and haven’t played or practiced all winter,” said Durfee coach John Ferreira. “So it takes a little time.”

FRED-TV video of the game