The offense finally broke through for the Kirtland softball team on Tuesday.
After showing signs of life a day earlier, the Hornets carried that momentum into an 11-8 win over host Beachwood softball, piling up 16 hits and answering every Bison rally along the way.
“We picked up momentum yesterday (in a 7-5 loss to) Chagrin Falls,” said Kirtland head coach Jamie Kamensky. “Our bats started to come alive, and our fielding looked more confident, but just a little too late. Today, we carried that momentum over, and it sets a tone going into the back end of our season now, saying if we build energy and stay resilient, we can surprise a few teams that are looking over us.”
Kirtland (2-7) wasted no time setting the tone, scoring four runs in the first inning. Maggie Kothera reached on an error and stole second, Karli DiFranco delivered an RBI single, and RBI knocks from Gia DiRenzo and Julia Cottrell helped build an early cushion.
Beachwood answered with three runs in the bottom half, highlighted by an RBI single from Ela Sasmaz, but the Hornets delivered the decisive blow in the third.
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Gracie Svigel and Cottrell opened the inning with singles before Josie Burich walked, loading the bases. Alivia Mason came through with a two-out RBI single, DiFranco drew a bases-loaded walk, Riley Kinch added a two-run single, and DiRenzo capped the surge with another RBI hit to make it 9-3.
“We’ve been preaching be aggressive, keep a fundamental swing, and ball in play,” Kamensky said. “We’re starting to understand those concepts.”
Beachwood (2-5) continued to chip away, getting contributions throughout the lineup. Amaya Brown went 2-for-4 with two runs and a double, Ela Sasmaz drove in two runs, and Dalilah Harrison added a hit, run, and RBI.
The Hornets added insurance in the sixth when Svigel and Cottrell again sparked the offense with back-to-back hits. Svigel later stole home, and Mason added an RBI single to stretch the lead.
Beachwood scored twice in the seventh and brought the tying run to the plate before Kirtland closed it out.
Nearly the entire Kirtland lineup contributed in the win. Mason led the way at 3-for-5 with two RBIs, Cottrell went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, and DiFranco, Kinch, and DiRenzo each drove in two or more runs. Svigel added two hits and two runs, while Kothera doubled and reached twice.
“We’re starting to click,” Kamensky said. “The girls understand that on-base percentage and singles will keep you in games and give you a chance to win.”
In the circle, Svigel worked six innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits, while Mason picked up the win in relief.
Beachwood’s Sasmaz struck out five over seven innings.
More importantly for Kirtland, the offensive breakout could be a turning point after a difficult start.
“Yesterday, we talked about how you truly can’t beat a team that has hope,” Kamensky said. “We pushed today that we have to capitalize and really make sure we close in on opportunities quickly and not allow the other team to build hope.”
With the skid snapped, the Hornets now turn their focus to sustaining it.
“Honestly, it’ll be gaining confidence, learning from the mistakes we made in the first part of the season, capitalizing on any opportunities that come our way, learning the game and fundamentals, and truly just finding a way to win,” Kamensky said. “Finding our voice and writing our own story to set the foundation for the program moving forward.”
Top Players
- Alivia Mason (Kirtland): 3-5, 1R, 2RBI; 1IP, 1H, 3R, 0ER, 1K (W)
- Julia Cottrell (Kirtland): 3-4, 2R, 1RBI
- Karli DiFranco (Kirtland): 2-4, 2R, 2RBI, 1BB
- Gia DiRenzo (Kirtland): 2-5, 1R, 3RBI
- Riley Kinch (Kirtland): 2-5, 1R, 2RBI
- Gracie Svigel (Kirtland): 2-5, 2R; 6IP, 9H, 5R, 4ER, 1K
- Amaya Brown (Beachwood): 2-4, 2R, 2B
- Ela Sasmaz (Beachwood): 2-4, 2RBI; 7IP, 16H, 11R, 9ER, 5K
- Dalilah Harrison (Beachwood): 1-4, 1R, 1RBI
