SWANSEA – Time and time again, the South Coast Conference softball teams always seem to shine come spring.
Two weeks in and it appears Dighton-Rehoboth is the league’s frontrunner again. Sophomore ace Edy Latour fired a complete game, surrendering just one run on five hits while striking out six, as the Falcons knocked off rival Case Wednesday in a 2-1 nail-biter.
“It feels amazing,” said Dighton-Rehoboth coach Katie Catarius-Holmes. “Case is a phenomenal team, they’re phenomenally coached, they work hard. They’re not an easy team to beat. I was just telling the girls that this is my fifth year coaching here, and this is the first time we’ve won here in five years. Because they’re good. They’re hard to beat at the wire. They get those last ups, and they’re going to push it to those last ups. To come here and beat them on their own turf was really big for us. Like I said, they’re a great team. They’re contenders, every day, all day. So to come here and do it on their turf meant a lot.”
The game was billed as a pitchers’ duel between Latour and Case standout Lila Alvarez. The game followed as expected, but with an unusual twist to start. Facing a full count to open the game, Villanova commit Cam Cloonan launched a moonshot to center, which soared high over the fence for a leadoff homer. Right out of the gate, Dighton-Rehoboth (2-1) had a 1-0 edge.
“That’s why she hits first,” said Catarius-Holmes. “I could put her anywhere in the order and she’s going to have an impact, but I think she sets the tone for us offensively.”
The two pitchers battled, as the score would hold until the fifth inning. With two down, Isabella Moss roped an RBI double to the wall, helping Dighton-Rehoboth extend its lead to 2-0.
Case tried to stage a rally of its own in the bottom half of the sixth inning, plating a run as Ella Preston grounded into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded to cut it to 2-1.
However, with the pressure mounting, Latour forced a grounder back to the circle, firing to first for the out to end the frame, her team still clinging to a one-run lead.
“This win was huge,” said Latour. “Because last year, we had a tough time against (Case), lost twice. But this year, that win was great, because I think my team played great (as well). It was nice.”
The Cardinals had one final gasp in the bottom of the seventh, as the leadoff runner reached. Latour retired the next two hitters, then forced a seemingly easy pop fly to right. However, it proved anything but, as the ball skipped off a fielder and fell to the feet of Skye Harrison. The right fielder wasted no time and fired a rocket to third. Moss corralled the throw, and threw down a perfect tag for the game-ending out, sealing the win in epic fashion for the Falcons.
Alvarez had a solid game in the circle for Case, firing a complete game while allowing two runs to go with six strikeouts.
“I think as a team, we work really well together,” Latour said. “As long as we keep working together, doing that, I think we will be OK in the future.”