Hudson players celebrate during their game, May 12.
By Jesse Kucewicz, Contributing Writer
HUDSON – Coming off of an 8-4 loss to Leominster, the Hudson softball team bounced back at home on May 12 with a 7-6 victory over Shepherd Hill Regional High School.
Hudson Head Coach Laura Bowen said she was happy with how her team performed in what was a nail-biter for the fans.
“I told them that they have to set the tone early,” Bowen said. “They came out, they got three quick outs — one, two, three — then they came up to bat and they scored that first run, which I think sets the tone for the whole game.”
Shepherd Hill responded to Hudson’s first inning score with a run of their own in the top of the second inning. Hudson pulled ahead again with runs by freshman Audrey Lenox, and sophomore Gracie Giorgio in the bottom of the second inning.
After Shepherd Hill scored two runs in the third inning, Hudson had a strong display in the fourth, starting with junior pitcher Abbey Nezuch retiring three straight batters. Nezuch then stepped up to the plate herself and batted home one of Hudson’s three runs in the fourth inning, extending the Hawks’ lead to 6-3.
Following a scoreless fifth inning, Shepherd Hill started the sixth inning scoring two runs. A leadoff double by Nezuch in the bottom of the sixth led to Hudson responding with one run in the inning.
With a 7-5 lead entering the seventh inning, Nezuch and the Hawks held on to their victory by a margin of one run, making their record an even 2-2.
Bowen sang high praises of Nezuch, who allowed just eight hits from the mound through all seven innings.
“Shepherd Hill is a good hitting team and she kept them off balance,” Bowen said. “I was very proud of her going all seven innings and battling until the end.”
As strong as Nezuch’s performance was, she is the latest in a growing line of Hudson starters posting stand-out performances this spring.
Back on May 7, Hawk pitcher Lauren Cole threw her first varsity no-hitter during a win over North Middlesex.
More broadly, strong defense and powerful performances at the plate had Hudson outscoring its opponents by an average of 6-4 through May 16.
