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The Riptide went 6-0 to win the Lightning Flash Pony Invitational Tournament Crown in Southington. In pool play on Saturday, the Riptide swept all three games beating the Shoreline Sting, 9-1; Stratford Breakers, 7-0; and the CT Titans Green. 8-0, highlighted by pitcher Casey Dicine’s no-hitter.
In Sunday’s single-elimination round, the second-seeded Riptide edged CT Titans Green, 2-1. The Titans scored on a suicide squeeze in the top of the inning. In the bottom of the inning, with one out, the Riptide evened the score at one. Ryan Lajoie singled, Ali Brown reached base on a bunt single and Allison Pitasi singled, plating Lajoie, and sending Brown to third. With a 2-1 count, Nicole Bonanni laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt as Brown raced home with the winning run.
In Game 2, the Riptide beat the CT Titans Blue, 4-0, behind the two-hit pitching of Lajoie. Amy Hurd led the offense with 2 hits and an RBI.
In the championship against top-seeded Southington, Hurd tossed a four-hitter and allowed one unearned run in a 6-1 win. Leading the Riptide in the game were Nicole Bonanni 3-for-4, one RBI and one run scored; Becky Stefanatos 2-for-4, one RBI, and two runs scored; Mallory Rochefort, one hit and two RBIs; and Lajoie 2-for-4.
Norwalk’s pitching and defense excelled all weekend, allowing just three runs in six games.
In the Orangeburg Tournament, the Riptide captured the Knights of Columbus Pony Invitational Tournament Title .
In pool play on Saturday, the Riptide bested the Long Island Crew 10-0 and the Vengeance of Rockland County 7-3. Mallory Rochefort and Tori Rodriguez were 3-for-4 with two RBIs apiece and Erin Frederick added a single and RBI in the Vengeance victory.
The two victories earned the Riptide the number 3 seed in the field of 24 for Sunday’s single elimination round.
Norwalk beat the New Jersey Sparks in its first game, 5-0, as Hurd had three hits. In the second game, the Riptide beat the Diamond Dolls of Orange County, 11-3, as Nicole Bonanni had two RBIs and Ali Brown scored three runs.
In the semifinals, the Riptide beat the Intensity of Hudson Valley, 8-2. The game was highlighted by two Intensity runners getting thrown out at the plate in the first inning. The leadoff batter tried to stretch a triple into a home run and a relay from Lajoie to Bonanni and finally Stefanatos nabbed the runner. An Intensity runner attempted to score from second on a single to center and Lajoie threw her out at the plate.
Hurd led the way offensively going 5 for 5 at the plate. Nicole Bonanni added three hits and three runs. Allison Pitasi had a key double in the second inning which plated the first two runs for the Riptide.
In the championship game, Norwalk beat the CT Raiders, 8-2. Norwalk scored three runs in the first and five in the second. Rochefort had three RBIs in the first two innings, and Ali Brown added a two-run single in the second.
Lajoie picked up the win on the mound, throwing six innings, and Casey Dicine pitched the seventh to secure the save.
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