Hopewell Valley’s Kristen Olzuk throws the ball to the infield during the Bulldogs’ 11-1 loss to Lawrence April 4, 2011. (Photo by Stacey Pastorella.)

Sammie Peralta throws to first in another win, 5-1, against Nottingham April 6, 2011. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)

Sydney Lipskind makes a hit and prepares to run in the April 6, 2011 game against Nottingham. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)

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Rain might have cancelled Lawrence High’s first scheduled softball game on April 1, but it couldn’t extinguish the fire the team showed in its 11-1 victory against Hopewell Valley on April 4.

In what was the first game of the season for both teams, the Cardinals scored 10 runs in the first inning. The team sent 15 batters to the plate during the offensive outburst. The scoring began with an RBI double by junior pitcher Kim Ragazzo, who was 4-4 with 3 RBI in the game.

Ragazzo also set the tone early on the mound. In the first inning, she worked around a one-out double to strike out the side.

“With Kimmy (Ragazzo) on the mound, she’s our rock,” said Tara Harrigan, who is in her first year as Lawrence coach. “She’s such a competitor and the girls really rally behind her. They know how much that she wants it, and they want to perform for her because they know that she’s working her hardest in the circle.”

Despite Lawrence’s blistering start, Hopewell pitcher Sarah Hart kept the Cardinals off the board for the next 3 innings, striking out two batters in the bottom of the fourth.

“We made some plays when we needed to after that,” Hopewell coach Lois Fyfe said.

But in the fifth inning, needing only one run to win via the 10-run rule, Lawrence quickly reached base with a lead-off single by Amanda Toto. Ragazzo, who batted in the first run, then hit a double to score Toto and secure the team’s 11-1 win.

Fyfe said that the Bulldogs, who played inconsistent defense throughout the game, were not mentally prepared at the start of the match.

“We mentally got a little bit better. We were not ready to play. I don’t like to make excuses, but the kids are off this week, so I think they were on vacation and they weren’t mentally prepared,” Fyfe said.

This year’s Bulldogs team has a mix of young and returning players. Hopewell senior Classica Cruz was 2-3 with two doubles in the game, including an RBI double to deep center in the third that scored Hopewell’s only run.

Fyfe said she hopes to see the team score more runs and play with more mental toughness in the season’s remaining games.
Harrigan said that the Cardinals lost a bit of their intensity after the first inning, but she reminded them to play solid for the entire game.

“I kind of lit a fire under them a little bit and said ‘we’re going to have to play seven if we don’t get another run,’ ” Harrigan said.

This year’s Lawrence team has eight returning players from last season, and is comprised mostly of sophomores and juniors, Harrigan said.

The team played its first game without junior center fielder Marissa Raimond, who was out with a shoulder injury. Harrigan said that players have stepped up as the team shifted its outfielders, but she hoped to have one of her key players back soon.

“Hopefully she can come back to us, and it’ll just make our lineup that much stronger because she’s a huge loss right now; a big bat, and she just controls that outfield from center field,” Harrigan said.

On the mound this season, Lawrence will go with a rotation of Ragazzo and Nickki DeFillipo. While Ragazzo dominates opposing batters with her speed, DeFillipo pitches with a lot of movement, Harrigan said.

Ragazzo’s pitching effort against Hopewell was supported by solid defense, highlighted by a leaping, over-the-shoulder catch by Lawrence first baseman Lea Brown. Brown, the only senior on Lawrence’s team, also walked twice and had an RBI triple in the first.

After the game, Brown talked about the team’s strengths, which she said were pitching, solid defense and good offensive players.

Both Brown and Harrigan said that one major goal was for the team to finish with a record at or over .500.

Last year’s Lawrence team had a record of 7-14. This year, Harrigan said she is encouraging the players to be more vocal on the field. She believes the change in approach has made a difference.

“Last year, they said they were a little timid, afraid of making some mistakes, and I think that’s because they didn’t think their team was behind them,” Harrigan said. “But now, everybody’s talking to one another, they’re supporting each other, they’re picking one another up, and they have more confidence in themselves.”