SOUTH HADLEY – When the top of the third inning rolled around in South Hadley’s game against Springfield International on Friday, the Tigers were in a good spot. The hosts led 2-0 with pitcher Isabella Schaeffer throwing darts from the circle to keep any of their opponents off the bags. 

They started off strong in the beginning of the third, picking up a walk and a pair of hits from Schaeffer and Ara Powers; Schaeffer’s was a blast to left field that some aggressive base running turned into a triple. Jaelianna Velazquez and Schaeffer scored early to make it 4-0, but with two runners on, SICS got two quick outs to put the Tigers’ backs against the wall. 

With nothing to lose and the green light on, South Hadley played the rest of the inning with a kind of abandon, and it paid off in a major way. The home team racked up eight more runs in the third frame alone to make it 12-0, and kept SICS off the board for the rest of the way to earn a five-inning, run-ruled victory.

“It gives us honestly like a gasp of relief,” Schaeffer said on playing with two outs. “It’s like all we need to do is… get this one last hit and we’re good.” 

Schaeffer threw all five innings for the Tigers, and the sophomore phenom allowed just two hits and struck out 11 batters. South Hadley improved to 10-1 with the win and stretched their winning streak to 10 games after dropping the season opener to Amherst.

SICS threw a plethora of bunt efforts at Schaeffer in an effort to get the bat on the ball and try and small ball its way back into the game. Schaeffer’s speed and pitch selection made that task much more difficult, and even if players did get the bat on the ball, the Tigers were ready to pick it up. 

“When these teams are trying to bunt us, we’re so good at it. We work at practice that they can't bunt on us, because we do it so much,” first-year South Hadley head coach Junior Perez said. “It's the little things… because it can’t always be Ella (Schaeffer) bailing us out.” 

It’s clear from watching the Tigers play that this isn’t just a one-player team. Schaeffer is dominant in the circle, but a number of other players stepped up in a major way on Friday. Powers hit an inside-the-park home run and plated twice before an injury pulled the catcher from the game early. Velazquez also got a hit and walked twice and scored two runs, and every one of the Tigers starting nine players scored at least one run. 

It’s a younger group this year – eight of the team’s players are sophomores – but a successful 2022 campaign, combined with impressive pitching and fielding has made the Tigers look like seasoned pros so far in 2023.

“We do have a younger group this year. I think honestly Ella’s pitching has also been helping us win a lot of games, and of course, the small ball play,” Velazquez said. “We do do that a lot and that helps us win a majority of our games as well and get up in the scoreboard.” 

Small ball has been the name of the game for the Tigers this year, something that they stress often in practice and it shows in their game play. South Hadley is a fast and smart-thinking group, which works well with the small ball mindset. It helps that his team is so competitive – they work hard in practice and constantly want to out-do their teammates. 

“You see it in the practices because this group here, if they don't do something right, they’ve got to do 10 push-ups or something, and they don't want to lose to their teammates,” Perez said. “It carries over to the game, so it's great.” 

Last year’s South Hadley team tasted success, but fell in the first round of the Western Mass. Class B tournament and again in the first round of the MIAA Division 4 state tournament. This year’s team is determined to not let that happen again, and hopes that focusing on the little things will pay off in a big way come playoff time. 

Hannah Bevis can be reached at hbevis@gazettenet.com. Follow her on Twitter @Hannah_Bevis1.]]>