Softball: Rocky River Rolls Past Valley Forge, 14-3

By Catrina Olsen

Parma, Ohio — Thursday night might be just what the doctor ordered for the Rocky River Pirates. After a crushing defeat by Holy Name, the Pirates came back to defeat Valley Forge not once but twice this week.

“I think this is a confidence booster for the team,” Rocky River coach Jeffrey Hammond said.

With a score of 14-3, these girls showed no trace of a defeat and came out of the dugout with bats on fire. Scoring six runs in the first inning was an early momentum builder for the Pirates, which set the tone for the rest of the game.

The Pirates recorded 24 total hits on the day, six of which came from Nani Meese and Maureen Cain, who both went 3-for-4, scoring two runs each.

Maura McIntyre also had a big day, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

Even from the bench, the cheers and communication was non-stop. That played a huge part in their success.

While the runs did not stop in the first inning, they did slow down a bit. On a day when things were going right for the Pirates, that may have been Hammond’s only issue with how his team finished the game.

“I would have liked to see the girls be more patient, use more aggressive baserunning and not slow down on the scoring,” the coach stated.

Hammond allowed all his pitchers to pitch, (something uncommon for typical games), but he made sure they each got a chance on the mound.

With the win, Rocky River improves to 5-3 (3-2 GLC) and travels to Shaker Heights for a double header on Saturday, April 15.

Valley Forge (1-4, 1-4) is back in action the same day, hosting Fairview.