Spalding Softball Continues Legacy

By: Luke Jackson

Elaine Nescio was a big hit in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference title game recently.

Nescio pitched a one-hitter to lead the Archbishop Spalding softball team to its third championship in four years with a 6-0 victory over the Institute of Notre Dame on May 11 at Harford Community College.

The win put the Cavaliers at 17-1 overall and 14-0 in the conference.

Inclement weather forced the Indians to play both their semifinal and the final in the same day. IND defeated Mount de Sales, 5-2, Sunday morning before taking on Archbishop Spalding in the finals.

Nescio sparked the Cavaliers, who had 11 strikeouts in a dominating performance. She also had a complete-game one-hitter in her team’s 5-0 quarterfinal win over Seton Keough. The top-seeded Cavaliers had a quarterfinal bye.

The Archbishop Spalding offense had nine hits on the day and scored a run in the first inning, two in the third and three in the fifth to clinch the title. The three-run fifth featured RBIs from Delaney Bell, Meghan Van Meter and Nescio.

Jen Rindone went 3-3 for the Cavaliers with a double and two RBIs.

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The starters for Towson Catholic and St. Paul's School for Girls softball teams didn't give up much during the IAAM C Conference title game, and Owls pitcher Jessica Butler got the little offensive support she needed.

With the game scoreless in the bottom of the sixth, Rebekah Alban hit a triple and scored on a throwing error to put the Owls up by one. Butler then shut down St. Paul's in the seventh to secure a 1-0 victory and back-to-back titles for Towson Catholic May 11 at Harford Community College.

The Maryland-bound Butler struck out 15 batters and gave up just one hit and two walks on the day. Gators' starter Sarah Meil also went the distance, giving up three hits, two of which were doubles by Butler.

Towson Catholic finished 20-2 overall and 11-0 in the conference and St. Paul's finished 15-4 (10-1).

Posted June 3, 2008