Nipmuc’s softball team was one pitch away from a big road win yesterday afternoon before East Longmeadow rallied late to steal a 4-3 decision in dramatic fashion. The Warriors started slowly after giving up a first inning run, but they answered with two runs in the third and added another in the sixth to build a 3-1 lead and put themselves in position to close it out.
East Longmeadow, however, put together a decisive three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh to turn the game around at the last moment. It was a frustrating finish for Nipmuc, which had done enough in the middle innings to appear set for the victory. Even so, there were still some strong individual performances for the Warriors.
Kira DeBaggis went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run, while Sierra Lopes added a 3 for 2 line with a run of her own. Those efforts helped keep Nipmuc in the game, even as the momentum shifted late. The loss drops the Warriors to 5-3 on the year and marks their third defeat in the last four games.
Nipmuc now has a quick turnaround with Westborough today at 4 p.m. The Rangers are 2-4 and are coming off a close 5-4 loss to Algonquin, so this should be a chance for Nipmuc to reset, get the bats going again and return to the win column.
