3-A SOFTBALL : Woodbridge Comes Back After Slow Start

An early case of nerves didn’t prevent Woodbridge from coming through late in the championship game of the Southern Section 3-A softball playoffs.

After a shaky start, the Warriors rallied to defeat Saugus, 2-1, in eight innings on Jessica Montgomery’s two-out single Saturday night at Mayfair Park.

Montgomery’s base hit to center field scored pitcher Alison Ward with the winning run after Ward had kept the inning going with a two-out double.

The clutch performance didn’t surprise Woodbridge Coach Alan Dugard, who has grown accustomed to seeing the top-seeded Warriors find ways to win.

“We’re a great pressure club,” Dugard said. “The nerves took over at first and we weren’t disciplined at all in the first three innings. But then we settled down and played our game.

“I’ve never seen a group of girls come back so many times like this team has. Even if we had played 14 or 15 innings, I thought we’d win.”

Early on, the Warriors (30-4) didn’t look as if they’d be around longer than seven innings, let alone 14 or 15. On offense, Woodbridge was impatient, which made things easy for Saugus pitcher Kerry Coudry.

“We were swinging at everything,” Dugard said.

On defense, Woodbridge committed an error in each of the first two innings, including one by center fielder Alison Johnsen in the second inning, which allowed Saugus’ only run to score. Saugus’ Jeanine Giordano singled with one out, stole second and then scored on Kim Weir’s short single to center, which Johnsen bobbled long enough to allow Giordano to come home.

But Woodbridge rallied to tie in the top of the fourth when Debbie Nasitka led off with a single, moved to second on Keri Byrd’s sacrifice and then scored on Lisa Weaver’s double to left. Weaver struck out in her first at-bat in the second inning, which led to a one-on-one chat with Dugard.

“Lisa wasn’t ready to hit her first time up,” Dugard said. “I told her she had to have a lot more patience, and she really drilled the ball the next time up.”

Ward shut out Saugus after the second inning, retiring 12 Centurions consecutively at one point. Saugus finished with five hits, including only one after the second inning.

“I can’t say enough about Alison,” Dugard said. “She doesn’t let anything bother her. Even after we didn’t give her much help the first few innings, she just stayed in her groove.”

In the top of the eighth, Ward drilled a double to right-center, which brought up Montgomery with two outs. Montgomery then lined a clean single up the middle.

“I was just saying to myself as I was standing on second that Jessica was due, and as I was thinking that, she hit me in,” Ward said.

Ward (19-2) quickly retired Saugus in order in the bottom of the eighth to touch off Woodbridge’s celebration. Once the on-the-field hugfest ended, however, Ward was ready to call it a night.

“I’ll celebrate later,” she said. “Right now, I’m drained. The atmosphere at a CIF final really takes it out of you.”