WORCESTER—An amazing run for the U10 Joe Schwartz all-star softball team ended with a narrow 2-0 loss to Southampton in the state championship game on July 14 in Agawam.
Despite another incredible pitching performance by lefthander Antonia Bianchini, Schwartz could not manage to push across any runs in the final. Bianchini finished the game with 13 strikeouts and allowed just two hits over six innings.
“This group of kids did an extraordinary job progressing and competing over the last four weeks,” said head coach Maria Drury. “Our staff asked them to learn, apply and execute new, tougher and higher-level softball skills in a short period of time and they didn’t disappoint.”
Schwartz finished its season with a 9-1 overall record, including three wins against Canton (8-4), Southampton (7-4) and Peabody (7-5) in the state tournament. They won their second consecutive District 4 championship with a 16-3 win over Jack Barry on June 25. Schwartz came into the finals on a nine-game winning streak.
The team was led by five returners from last year’s team that also advanced to the state title game: Soleil Connole, Abby Salter, Bianchini, Stella Lee and Emma Kelly. Drury noted that the pitching duo of Connole (right handed) and Bianchini (left handed) served as a “right-left punch” for the team this summer. They combined for more than 100 strikeouts and allowed less than two earned runs per game for most of the season.
“I think we have the best two U10 pitchers in the state, which really sets us up for success,” said Drury.
On offense, Connole led the team in batting average, doubles and stole more than 20 bases. Bianchini led the team in RBI and swatted two home runs while Lee, the leadoff hitter and catcher, led the team in hits and runs scored.
“This year’s team is an extraordinary group of kids. They’re all in it and very positive,” noted Drury. “They’re very supportive of each other. The kids do all the work, we just get to go out there and have a little fun with them.”
Although Schwartz fell just shy of a state championship, fellow city league Jesse Burkett softball captured state titles in both the Juniors (12-14) and U12 divisions. Worcester has really become the center of youth softball in Massachusetts throughout the last few years.
“District 4 is arguably the most competitive district in the state of Massachusetts,” said Drury. “We’ve got a lot of solid travel ball teams that come out of central Massachusetts and with Worcester being centrally located, there’s definitely been a resurgence in Little League softball.”
Schwartz looks to continue the resurgence next year with five players moving up to U12 while seven players from this year’s U10 team will be eligible to return to the team again next season.
Team members are: Meredith Barranco, Antonia Bianchini, Soleil Connole, Arianna Cousineau, Viviana Diaz, Sonja Grenon, Emma Kelly, Stella Lee, Madyson Puente, Maeve Ramirez, Abigail Salter and Gabriella Wyman.
Mike Vigneux is a freelance writer in Worcester with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of municipal government, communications, and public relations. An avid fan of all sports, Mike enjoys telling the stories of local athletes and their teams. He holds two degrees from Clark University, a bachelor of arts in Communication and a master of science in Professional Communication. He can be reached at Mikevigs@gmail.com
