By RYAN WALKER
The Norwell softball team notched its first win in Northeast Conference play with a 5-3 home win over East Noble (9-5) Wednesday.
The Norwell Knights (7-5, 1-2 NE8), behind a stellar complete-game by starting pitcher Sami Lemler, scattered a few runs in the first and third innings to set up a two-run sixth to get the job done. The game is just the beginning of a three-game homestand, hosting Carroll and Homestead in the next two days.
“Anytime you can get a win to start off your week too, it’s only our first game of the week, so, hopefully, there’s more to come,” head coach Kevin Baird said after the game.
Delaney Connett got her team on the board first with a base hit and later scored on a wild pitch in the first inning.
East Noble’s Kyle Anderson tied the game up in the top half of the third with an RBI fielder’s choice.
In the third, the NE8’s No. 3 batting average leader (with a .600 average), Jordan Markley, tripled home Connett to take a 2-0 lead. Emma Bailey then would bring home Markley to lead 3-1.
East Noble would have another answer, this time Elliot Rouch scoring from third on a wild throw in an attempt to get a double play, but Norwell had the knockout punch in the sixth.
Lemler helped herself with a double to put two runners in scoring position that scored a few pitches later on a deep hit to center field by Elle Misch. That would make it a three-run game, and Norwell was finally rewarded for hitting the ball hard.
“We’ve been working on our hitting quite a bit, so just hitting locations and stuff like that,” Baird said. “I think we hit the ball hard and didn’t find a lot of holes, but we did have a lot of hard-hit balls.”
East Noble’s Rouch put one more run up on the board with a double, but that’s all the team could get as Lemler finished the deal. The junior allowed just one earned run in the game, only gave up three hits, walked three, and struck out five.
Not only did she keep the hit count low, but she did it against two of the best power hitters in the conference.
Rouch is second in the NE8 in batting average (.654) and third with four home runs on the season. Anderson is first with seven home runs. Lemler held East Noble by hitting spots and controlling the strike zone.
“We are challenging our pitchers to throw more strikes and to hit our sports,” Baird said. “I mean, hitting your spots is crucial to keep a team off balance, and I thought she did a great job today hitting spots. Her strike percentage was great (at) 63 percent. She just did a good job of keeping them off balance, not allowing some of the girls that are conference leaders in home runs, not allowing those kids to get started playing to her strong suits.”
Norwell’s next game is at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4, against Homestead. The team won’t face NE8 competition until Huntington North comes to town on the 10th.
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