Rockette’s First Softball Week
By Brandi Sargent

After three days of field preparation by Charlie and Julie Martin, freshly turned dirt, and a new coat of paint on the dugouts, the Rochester Rockettes were ready to kick it off.

The long awaited opener finally happened on Thursday the 26^th, after two cancelled scrimmages and cancelled games.

Win Over Proctor

Kristen Gendron pitched a one hitter against Proctor, with Rochester winning 12-0. Gendron finished the game with eight strikeouts and two walks.

The Rockettes were able to put two quick runs on the board in the first inning with singles from Megan Pratt, Jody Martin, and Caitlyn Cutting. Pratt added two more runs in the second thanks to a double.

Kayla Shepard started out the third inning with a double quickly followed by two more singles by Gendron and Sheena Twitchell. The Rockettes scored three in that inning. Rochester batted around the line-up in the fourth scoring Martin who was walked, Cutting who hit a single, Shepard and Vanessa Mongeur who reached on errors, and Twitchell who reached on a base hit. Also reaching safely in the fourth were Gendron, Parker on a fielder’s choice, Desiree Bourassa, and another single by Pratt.

Parker and Twitchell hit two more singles in the sixth, but the score would remain 12-0 Rochester for the final.

Close Call vs Concord

The Rochester Rockettes second win came on Saturday morning, beating Concord 6-5. It took all seven innings to decide this win.

Jody Martin, broken thumb and all, started as pitcher for Rochester. Concord started the game with a run in the first. Megan Pratt answered with a double, but the Rockettes were unable to turn the hit into a run.

In the second inning Kayla Shepard hit a lead off double. With a bunt by Vanessa Mongeur and a single by Kristen Gendron, Shepard came in to score. This was the only run scored by the Rockettes in the second. Concord one-upped Rochester scoring two, making the score 3-1 Concord.

Gendron came in to relieve Martin in the third. Erica Parker started off the third inning with a single, followed by a perfect bunt laid down by Desiree Bourassa moving Parker to third. Parker scored to bring Rochester within one. Concord was able to answer back with one run to make the score 4-2 Concord. Neither team would score in the fourth or fifth innings, but Concord added a run in the sixth.

Shepard came up big again in the 6^th with a lead off single and moved around the bases with a steal and a fielder’s choice off of Sheena Twitchell’s hit, to score on a pass ball making the score 5-3 at the end of the sixth, Concord’s favor.

With four pitches, Gendron was able to help the Rockettes out of the seventh. One pitch each to the first two batters and two to the third.

Rochester left it until the seventh inning to make their move, scoring the three runs needed to end the game. Caitlyn Cutting hit a single, Parker moved her to second on an error by the third baseman, and on an attempt to get the lead runner, Bourassa reached first moving Cutting to third, Parker to second. With bases loaded Martin hit a single scored Cutting, and Parker and Bourassa then scoring on pass balls, bringing the final score 6-5, Rochester.

Winning pitcher, Gendron, struck out five, walked one, and allowed only three hits in five innings.

Loss to Rivendell

Megan Pratt made her pitching debut on Tuesday and faced five batters in the first inning, striking out one, allowing two hits, walking zero, with one batter scoring. Pratt continued to do a good job throughout the fifth inning.

The Rockettes didn’t score until the sixth inning. The run came off of a hit from Emily Chism, also making a debut of her own, with her first hit. Rochester tried another seventh inning rally, but came up short. Parker hit a single and went on to score and Cutting hit a single as did Bourassa.

Pratt and Gendron both had two singles in the game. Gendron came in to relieve Pratt in the sixth, facing only three batters.

The final score was 13-3, Rivendell.

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