BENNINGTON: In sports, there are moments that define a game, maybe even a season. For Mount Anthony softball and pitcher Baylee Ports, that moment came in the second inning of Friday’s quarterfinal against Missisquoi’s cleanup hitter Alexis Billado.
Billado and Ports battled as the Thunderbird fouled off pitch after pitch against the MAU senior. On the 12th pitch of the at-bat, Billado walked to win the battle. But MAU won the war, as Ports retired the final 15 batters she faced in a row in an 8-0 victory.
“I think that’s where all that practice and time comes in. You don’t change anything, keep working, keep doing what you are, focus on the glove and forget the walk,” said MAU coach Katie Contrada. “In the pressure situation, the team had her back and you know what you’re doing.” Ports was on point in the first, striking out the side en route to eight punchouts overall and the offense delivered some breathing room right out of the gate.
For MAU, Kaity O’Brien reached on an infield single and got to third after two wild pitches to start the first. Keira Goodell drove home O’Brien with a single to left and moved to second when Ports reached on an error by MVU pitcher Emma Getty. With one out, Julie Elwell crushed a single to center, driving home Goodell and Ports for a 3-run lead.
“Everything changes in playoffs, you never know what can happen and our defense showed up today ready for the game, from the first pitch and expecting the ball to come to them,” Contrada said.
The first hitter in the top of the second was Billado, who made Ports work as much as any batter this season.
“She saw all my pitches. We knew obviously coming in they were good hitters,” Ports said. “In that situation, the walk was understandable, she really battled hard.”
Bethany Fitzgerald reached on a slow roller in the infield, but after Jamie Boyle caught a bunt attempt by Lauren Perkins for the first out, Elwell picked off Billado venturing off third base. Ports then calmly fanned Mikaela Magnant to end the inning.
MAU added another run in the second when Morgan Hewitt bunted her way on with a perfect bunt down the third-base line and Goodell knocked her in for her second RBI in as many innings.
Lindsay Daly opened the third with a single for the Thunderbirds, but that’s when Ports started her streak of outs, taking down the next three batters on pop-ups. “They were swinging and kept popping it up. They liked the rise ball, I saw that throughout the lineup,” Ports said.
“I’m proud of her to come back like that, she gets better as the game goes along,” Contrada added. “A little pressure can make you throw harder and after we scored some runs, it’s a lot easier to relax on the mound.”
The Patriots broke the game open for good in the third. Lauren Woodcock singled to start the frame and Elwell reached when Missisquoi dropped a pop-up in the infield. Getty got the next two hitters out, but Cheyenne Guetti drove in a run with a base hit and Hewitt, after faking a bunt attempt, drove a hit to center field to drive in a run. O’Brien completed the rally with a two-run single of her own to make it 8-0.
The freshman O’Brien played beyond her years, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI. “When you start off fast, it’s easier for the team, they can help you out, and everyone wants to work together to get runs in,” O’Brien said. “[Getty] was pitching me outside, so I tried to go with the pitch and get it to the outfield.”
Ports tied the Mount Anthony wins record with her 43rd victory, matching 2003 graduate Katie Vandale. With her eight strikeouts, Ports has now fanned more than 400 batters in her career.
“Baylee doesn’t go out to set records, she does the best she can to help the team win,” Contrada said. “You can’t think about stats, she know what she has to do and if the stats come, all the better.” The Patriots move on to the Division I semifinal against No. 3 Colchester on Tuesday at MAU. The Lakers topped Mount Mansfield, 3-1, on Friday/
“It’s definitely a big game, but we have to be focused on ourselves and come out prepared,” Contrada said. “It doesn’t matter who the team is, if we play our game, we’ll be right in it.”
