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Sports

Rockville Softball Team Advances in State Tourney

Lajoie tosses a gem as the rams take out East Lyme.

The Rockville High School softball team advanced to the second round of the CIAC playoffs on Tuesday with a 4-0 win over East Lyme.

The Rams got nearly perfect pitching from Kaitlyn Lajoie who struck out 12 and only gave up two hits.  Lajoie took a no-hitter into the top of the sixth.

The Vikings and Rams were battling in a scoreless game through-four-and-a-half innings before the Rams exploded for four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Courtney Oliva led the bottom of the inning off with a triple when she sent a long bomb deep into left field. 

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The next batter, Megan Gardiner, drove in Oliva from third when Gardiner hit a hard ground ball that got through the infield.  After a sacrifice bunt from Jackie Ose and a walk that put Brianna Levick on first, Gardiner would score from third on a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt by Sarah Carpenter. 

Next up was Emily Burg, and she kept the inning going for Rockville.  Burg made solid contact on a pitch and Brianna Levick was able to score from third while Burg landed on second.  At that point it was 3-0 but the Rams weren’t done just yet.  The next batter, Elissa Graf hit another deep ball to score Burg from second, giving the Rams back-to-back RBI doubles with two out.

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Anna Salvatore was the starting pitcher for East Lyme.  Salvatore pitchedc five full innings while allowing four runs, six hits and getting two strike outs.  She only allowed two hits in the first four innings.

Erica Hill came in to relieve Salvatore in the bottom of the sixth inning and struck out two batters while not giving up a hit.

The Vikings were threatening in the top of the sixth when they got back to back singles from Madison Horner and Amanda Beers with two outs.  With runners on first and second, Lajoie struck out the next batter to avoid any possibility of a comeback and get out of the inning.

Rockville coach Frank Levick said pitching is the key to Rockville's playoff success.

"Kaitlyn Lajoie was fantastic today and she can really carry this team as far as she wants to," said Levick. "When she is on her game, I like our chances of going pretty far."

Levick also talked about how the Rams got key hits from everyone on Tuesday and not just from a few key players.

"In the fifth inning it was Courtney Oliva who started it off with that triple, and then Megan got a hit and then all of the sudden it was like everybody is getting hits."

The Rams will play again at home on Wednesday at 4 p.m.  They will face the winner of No. 9 Berlin and No. 24 Bristol Eastern.

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