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Hand wins this round against rival Guilford (VIDEO)
Hand emerged with a thrilling 3-1 victory over rival Guilford on Wednesday. Freshman Emily Ruggiero hit a bases-clearing three-run double in the fifth inning to provide all the run support that sophomore pitcher Annie Horton would need.
"She's only a freshman," Hand coach Mike Niekrash said of Ruggiero. "She was patient and got the high pitch and nailed it to left-center (field). It was a great hit. But it was setting the table that really set that up."
Catcher Lia Tosiello led off the inning with a walk. Tori Mainiero followed with an infield single and Horton reached on an infield error on a bunt to load the bases for Ruggiero's heroics.
"Our bunting was outstanding today," Niekrash said. "We put the ball in play and made them field the ball. We took advantage of what they gave us really."
Hand has just four hits off Guilford hurler Leah Torre, who is perhaps the best pitcher in the SCC. The win for the Tigers was important on several levels. One, Hand improved to 6-4 overall and 3-1 in the Southern Connecticut Conference Hammonasset Division.
Secondly, the Tigers earned a victory in the first of two games they play in the regular season against their self-proclaimed biggest rival. The teams meet again on May 13 in Madison. The schools' football teams play each other annually during Thanksgiving week.
"No question, they're our biggest rival," Niekrash said. "They're our biggest rival in all the sports. Softball has gotten to be a real heated rivalry in the last couple of years. The program's gotten a lot better in the last couple of years over there (in Guilford). Every game's a battle, just like this one."
Guilford and Hand met in the 2009 Class L state softball quarterfinals. Hand entered as the No 3 seed, while the Indians were seeded No. 22. Guilford won 3-0.
"They're always pretty tough," Tosiello said. "It's always a great game between us. With Guilford, we always want to beat them and they always want to beat us. It's really an intense game between us. If you had a rivalry with a team that wasn't as good, it really wouldn't be a rivalry. So, obviously, it's a lot more fun when a team is as good as you are."
"She's only a freshman," Hand coach Mike Niekrash said of Ruggiero. "She was patient and got the high pitch and nailed it to left-center (field). It was a great hit. But it was setting the table that really set that up."
Catcher Lia Tosiello led off the inning with a walk. Tori Mainiero followed with an infield single and Horton reached on an infield error on a bunt to load the bases for Ruggiero's heroics.
"Our bunting was outstanding today," Niekrash said. "We put the ball in play and made them field the ball. We took advantage of what they gave us really."
Hand has just four hits off Guilford hurler Leah Torre, who is perhaps the best pitcher in the SCC. The win for the Tigers was important on several levels. One, Hand improved to 6-4 overall and 3-1 in the Southern Connecticut Conference Hammonasset Division.
Secondly, the Tigers earned a victory in the first of two games they play in the regular season against their self-proclaimed biggest rival. The teams meet again on May 13 in Madison. The schools' football teams play each other annually during Thanksgiving week.
"No question, they're our biggest rival," Niekrash said. "They're our biggest rival in all the sports. Softball has gotten to be a real heated rivalry in the last couple of years. The program's gotten a lot better in the last couple of years over there (in Guilford). Every game's a battle, just like this one."
Guilford and Hand met in the 2009 Class L state softball quarterfinals. Hand entered as the No 3 seed, while the Indians were seeded No. 22. Guilford won 3-0.
"They're always pretty tough," Tosiello said. "It's always a great game between us. With Guilford, we always want to beat them and they always want to beat us. It's really an intense game between us. If you had a rivalry with a team that wasn't as good, it really wouldn't be a rivalry. So, obviously, it's a lot more fun when a team is as good as you are."
posted by Mike Pucci at
8:35 PM
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