By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
MELROSE—The Melrose High girls’ softball team isn’t just battling Mother Nature, but tough opponents in the games they’ve managed to get in during their early season. They have been searching for wins since their April 4 victory over Watertown but know there is plenty of season ahead.
Melrose lost 16-1 to guest Burlington on Tuesday afternoon at Pine Banks. This game was a five-inning mercy-rule game as Melrose fell to 1-5 overall and 1-4 in the Middlesex League.
“Burlington has a really good team and our bats were inconsistent,” said Melrose head coach Stephen Turner.
The Red Devils scored seven times in the first and third innings to break the game open. But Melrose’s Ava Viola led on offense going 2 for 2 with a home run to right-center field in the bottom of the first.
Brynn Baker had a triple and Maggie Turner had a single as Melrose finished with four hits. Melrose’s Riley Jones was on the mound, striking out one.
The day before, Melrose lost on the road at Danvers, 12-0, in a non-league game. This game also went five innings.
“We made six errors,” pointed out Turner. “We had three of them in the first inning and that led to five runs.” Melrose was also no-hit.
On Apr. 10 Melrose lost another mercy-rule game, 13-1, at home to Reading. Viola had the team’s lone hit with an RBI single in the bottom of the third inning
On Apr. 9, it was a high-scoring affair as the Red hawks lost to guest Winchester, 23-10.
“The positive is that we hit the ball well,” said Turner as his team had ten hits.
Kate Stratford was 2 for 3 with two runs scored while Sydney Bowles went 2 for 4 with two runs batted in.
Viola had a two-run single in the second inning while Turner had an RBI single in the second as Melrose plated five runs in that inning.
The defense struggled committing five errors that led to eight Black and Red runs.
The game at Wakefield on Apr. 11 was postponed and will be made up on Apr. 23 at 10 am.