The Summit High School summer softball team lost Wednesday, 5-0, to Union at Myrtle Field. The teams were scoreless through four innings before Union broke through with two runs in the fifth.
"We were a little slow facing their pitches," Summit Head Coach Rachel Gordon said. "But, the bats will come around. We just didn't get around fast enough today."
Summit pitcher Marissa Montero got through the first inning in only eight pitches, producing three Union groundball outs. Summit came up in the bottom of the first, but could not push a run across despite Lisa Campanelli and Julie Schott reaching second and third base, respectively.
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Montero allowed her first hit in the top of the second, but again Union did not score. A nice double play by Summit ended the inning. Summit, however, could not get anything going in the bottom half of the inning, going down 1-2-3.
Union threatened for the first time in the top of the third inning, with two runners reaching base. Montero retired the fifth batter, though, ending the inning. Summit picked up an Alli Hoesly single in the bottom of the third, but couldn't take the lead.
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Union, for the second straight inning, led off with a single. They could not score either thanks to a big Montero strikeout with one out. Montero finished the game with seven strikeouts in seven innings pitched. Summit went three and out again in the bottom of the fourth, and the game entered the fifth inning scoreless after only about 45 minutes of play.
"Our confidence was definitely up," Gordon said, regarding the first four innings of play. "We are getting better and gaining experience. Our fielding was phenomenal. Once again, it was one or two bad innings that killed us."
Union used back-to-back doubles leading off the fifth to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish. They added an insurance run by scoring their second run on a wild pitch. Summit didn't score in the bottom of the fifth despite a line-drive, two-out single by Marissa Jennings. Union added three runs in the top of the sixth, giving them a 5-0 lead. Summit went quietly in the bottom of the inning, entering the final inning down five runs.
Montero stayed on form in the top of the seventh, striking out two batters and not allowing a runner to reach second base. Summit came to bat in the bottom of the inning looking for another comeback, but their only base runner was a Montero walk, before recording the third and final out of the game.
"Once again, our fielding was excellent," Gordon said. "But we have to get our bat speed up. We're going to face live pitching in practice Friday."
The team will return to action Monday against Scotch Plains.
