Centaurs pg 1 5-19-22
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Centaurs
softball team
qualifies for
ECC tourney
The Woodstock Academy softball team is now guaranteed to play in two postseason tournaments.
The Centaurs finished with a 6-2 record in ECC Div. II after an 11-1 win over Killingly May 12.
It guaranteed Woodstock Academy (10-8 overall) second place in the division and a berth in the ECC postseason tournament.
The Centaurs had already qualified for the Class L state tournament.
“It’s so special,” said winning pitcher Lexi Thompson. “Our team is so young this year so it’s really important for us to gain confidence for the years that follow. We’re all really happy.”
Thompson played a pivotal role in the win. She allowed just one hit. But it was a big one.
A home run to center field off the bat of third baseman and lead-off hitter Hannah Cozza of Killingly.
“I analyze every pitch I throw so I knew what pitch I threw and where I missed my spot. I know this team (Killingly) really well. I used to play with a lot of them and they are a really good hitting team. It was just a matter of hitting the corners and my spots, using my change up and keeping them off balance,” Thompson said.
Thompson did that extremely well the remainder of the game and her teammates didn’t let Killingly hold on to the lead for long.
Sarah McArthur singled and later scored on a Delaney Anderson sacrifice fly to tie the game in the bottom of the first.
Thompson, who had singled, then scored on an error to give the Centaurs the lead for good.
Liz Morgis who reached on an error, scored on a Madison Nichols ground out, to make it 3-1.
“You have a team like this, it’s pretty easy to be the head coach,” assistant coach Dave St. Jean said with a laugh. “You stay out of their way, let them make plays and they did a great job. It was a lot of fun to watch.”
St. Jean was filling in for head coach Jason Gerum who was with his son on a hockey trip to Canada last week.
Thompson made it easy on St. Jean as she gave up just the one hit and struck out 13.
She also called her own pitches.
“Nobody knows what she wants to throw more than she does,” St. Jean said. “Lexi has been incredible. She has been a leader for us all year and it wasn’t any different (against Killingly). She had a lot of strikeouts and fields her position really well, too.”
Thompson also shined at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two runs batted in.
Morgis and Nichols also drove in two runs while McArthur, Anderson and Jenna Bankowski added two hits to the attack.
It was Kaya Nichols in the spotlight May 13 in Uncasville.
The freshman gave Thompson a break in the pitching circle and posted her first high school victory with a 10-5, eight-inning win over the Saints.
Kaya Nichols pitched all eight innings and allowed just one earned run on seven hits. She also sent the game into extra innings.
The Centaurs had a 2-0 lead early and then a 3-1 advantage going into the bottom of the second. But the Saints wiped that out with three runs of their own in the second inning to take a 4-3 lead.
They raised that to 5-3 with a run in the bottom of the sixth. But Woodstock responded in the top of the seventh. Mia Pannone made it a one-run game with an RBI single.
After a foul out, Kaya Nichols stepped to the plate with two outs and two runners on and calmly delivered an RBI single which would send the game into extra innings.
The Centaurs scored five times in the top of the eighth to bring home the win. Thompson had an RBI double and both McArthur and Anderson added run-scoring singles in the rally.
The softball team opened last week with another divisional victory, 15-1, over Bacon Academy. The Centaurs were locked in a tight battle with the Bobcats leading only 3-0 going into the top of the fifth.
That’s when the Woodstock bats caught fire. Thompson and Anderson both singled with one out and first baseman Morgis cleared the basepaths with a drive to left field that allowed Morgis to round the bases herself for an inside-the park-home run.
Then Madison Nichols doubled, Pannone singled and Ainsley Morse drove in both with a triple to right to make it 8-0.
Emily Goodell walked and Bankowski followed with an RBI double. Goodell would be tagged out attempting to steal home but on the play, Bankowski advanced to third and then scored.
McArthur singled and Thompson, the winning pitcher, helped her own cause with a two-run inside-the-park home run this time to center field. Anderson followed with an inside-the-park home run of her own to make it 13-0.
The Centaurs finished with 20 hits with Anderson (3 RBIs) and Thompson each getting four. Morse finished with three hits and two RBIs.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
McArthur Slides
Woodstock Academy shortstop Sarah McArthur slides in head first to third base against Killingly as Hannah Cozza tries to apply the tag. McArthur was safe on the play.
Thompson Slides
Woodstock junior Lexi Thompson slides in safely to home with one of the 11 runs for Woodstock Academy against Killingly.
Thompson Pitching
Junior Lexi Thompson pitched a 1-hitter vs. Killingly and struck out 13 in an 11-1 victory. Photos by Marc Allard.
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