Spalding High School junior Elaine Nescio pitched a one-hitter and tallied 11 strikeouts to lead the Cavaliers to a 6-0 win over IND in the IAAM A Conference finals Sunday.
The Indians pulled a 5-2 upset over Mount de sales in the morning Sunday but couldn't contain Spalding in the finals.
by Aaron Grayagray@digitalsports.comSee video belowStrong defense, consistent hitting and a dominant force inside the circle.
They are three aspects of the game the
Archbishop Spalding High School softball team has been known for this season and all three came to a head in the IAAM A Conference championship at Harford Community College on Sunday.
The top-seeded Cavaliers poured on nine hits -- the leadoff runner reached base in five of six innings -- while junior pitcher Elaine Nescio tallied 11 strikeouts to lead Spalding to a 6-0 victory over
Institute of Notre Dame.
It's the third A Conference title in four years for Spalding, which capped a near perfect season with a record of 17-1 overall, 14-0 in the conference.
"The goal of any competitive team is to walk away with (the trophy) and this group came through," second-year coach Paul O'Brien said.
"I had nightmares about the New England Patriots last night because the season would not have been complete without a win here today."
Nescio put all over her coach’s fears to rest early. She retired the No. 6 Indians (10-14) in order in the first three innings and took a no-hitter into the seventh.
"Andrea (Catucci) did a great job of calling pitches and she knows me very well," said Nescio, who rung up a combined nine strikeouts on the last five hitters in the IND lineup.
"Our defense was also phenomenal again. It just carried over from the Seton Keogh game in the semifinals. And everyone hit so it's just a big -- everybody! It was a big team win. It was great."
Nescio pitched a one-hit shutout to beat Seton Keogh on Thursday and held the Indians to a single hit Saturday. Jordan Driscoll hit a hard line drive to second base and beat the throw in the seventh for IND.
She called her change-up pitch her "bread and butter" but also kept batters off balanced with her main pitch, the screwball.
Because of consecutive rainouts, the Indians had to play their semifinal game Saturday morning. IND upset second-seeded Mount de Sales, 5-2, but going into a championship bout after already playing in the day may have been too much for the Indians.
"I think our bats were a little tired and it's a lot to ask of our pitcher," IND coach Greg Ehrmann said.
Pitcher Kayla Mohr (three strikeouts) has pitched multiple games in one day on the club softball circuit but not going in fresh against a hard-hitting Cavalier squad made the difference.
Junior outfielder Jen Rindone went 3-for-3 for the Cavaliers with a double and two RBIs. Her first-inning blooper fell in shallow right field to score outfielder Meghan Van Meter, one of three seniors on the team, and plate the first run for Spalding.
Rindone struck again in the third when she blasted a 3-2 pitch over the head of the Indians' right fielder to score Catucci (2-for-4) from second. Freshman Emily Weiman, the next batter, reached on an error, which also scored a run to open a 3-0 lead.
"Everyone is a strong hitter on this team," said Rindone, one of three Spalding players to sport a batting average higher than .400 this season. "Everyone contributes. It felt good to win."
Said Nescio: "When you score in the first inning, it doesn't take all the pressure off you because you still have to go out there and perform but it helps a lot."
Senior shortstop Delaney Bell drove in a run with a triple in the fifth and Van Meter (2-for-3, double) followed suit with her shot down the third-base line. Van Meter would later score on a Nescio groundout to cap the three-run inning.
Nescio credited her team with entering the season with a different mentality, thus their success at the end.
"Last year, everybody was just talking about the three-peat," she said. "This year, we just came in and filled the spots we lost. We put it all together, won some games and here we are."
Said O'Brien: "What I like about this team is its exceptional senior class. This class will stand out, for me, for a long time. I put them among the top two or three classes I've ever coached. It was just tremendous senior leadership and they kept their eye on the prize."
IND (10-14) 000 000 0 - 0 1 2
Spalding (17-1) 102 030 x - 6 9 0
WP: AS - Nescio. LP - IND - Mohr. 2B: AS - Van Meter, Rindone. 3B: AS - Bell. RBI: AS - Rindone 2, Bell, Van Meter, Nescio.
A Conference Bracket