Seymour 7, Watertown 0

Do not count out the Seymour softball team. Seymour may have lost five starters to graduation, including three All-Staters who signed up to play college softball, but this program doesn’t rebuild, it reloads. 

The Class M and NVL defending champions Wildcats opened the season with a convincing 7 – 0 home victory over Watertown on Wednesday, winning their 27th straight game.

We’re not a bad team, we have ways to go,” Seymour coach Ken Pereiras said. We’re young and inexperienced, but we’ll get better as the season progresses.”

Only two players from last year’s team start at the same position — senior captain Amanda Willette in center field and junior Kim Ferris at shortstop. 

Two other starters return for the Wildcats but at different positions. Junior Maggie Crocamo is the starting catcher after playing right field last year and junior righty Stephanie Burt moves over from first base to pitcher, taking over from lefty Kim Bogen.

Based on Burt’s first performance, Seymour won’t suffer because she is poised to continue the program’s tradition of dominating pitchers. She was in total control in tossing a one-hitter with three walks and 10 strikeouts.

Burt didn’t allow a hit until Watertown junior Nicole Thomas laced a two-out single to right field in the top of the fifth inning. 

Three times, she dealt with two runners on base, including second and third with no outs in the top of the sixth inning (courtesy of two errors). Each time, she bore down and kept the Raiders off the scoreboard, inducing an infield popup and ground out to the box in the sixth inning with a strikeout sandwiched in between both outs.

A lot of practice has helped,” Burt said. I have to concentrate and trust the player behind me. You have to shut everything out and go.”

Blanking Watertown isn’t something to be taken lightly because it also has a successful program. Last year, the Raiders were 13 – 7 in the regular season, 15 – 9 overall.

Watertown is a good team,” Pereiras said. We had a big second inning with big hits and that turned the game around.”

The Wildcats scored five runs in the second to take a 6 – 0 lead. Junior Emily Coyne (2 – 4) started things with a single to left and senior Kelly Mitchell (2 – 3) with a double to left. 

Raider junior righty Cate Lucewicz walked sophomore Gianna Alberti to load the bases with no outs. After Lucewicz got two outs, Willette (1 – 3) drove in Coyne with a single to shortstop. Ferris (2 – 3) singled home Mitchell with a liner to left and Burt (1 – 3, four RBI) cleared the bases with a double over the right fielder’s head.

I kept my eye on the ball and swung,” Burt said.

In the bottom of the fifth, Coyne hit a one-out triple over the center fielder’s head and scored on Mitchell’s double to center.

Overall, Wildcats are buoyed and determined. According to Burt, they practice longer because they want to stay on top.

We’re always ready to win every single game,” Willette said. We definitely proved ourselves today. We definitely have to work hard if we want to keep it up.”

Despite rebuilding, Seymour is ranked third in the Connecticut Sportswriters Association poll and fifth in the Connecticut High School Coaches Association poll.

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