By Laura Amato
Kelsey Carr just ran and hoped for the best.
The Archbishop Molloy freshman standout didn’t remember much about her trip around the bases, she just knew she’d found her way home when she heard the yells from the dugout.
Carr connected on a solo home run on the first pitch of her late-game at bat, sprinting around the diamond and wrapping up a day that was nothing short of dominant as the Stanners cruised to an 11-1 victory over Fontbonne Hall in five innings last Friday.
“I thought I was going to stop at third, I didn’t think it was that far out,” said Carr, who drilled the home run to deep left field in the bottom of the fifth. “But then she was telling me to go and I knew it was going to be close. I just made sure I slid outside, but I don’t really know what happened. I couldn’t really see, but it worked.”
Carr’s homer capped off a stellar performance on both sides of the ball. The freshman pitcher connected on two hits, a sacrifice fly and notched three RBI. She also racked up 12 strikeouts and never lost her cool in the circle – even after Fontbonne jumped out to a one-run lead in the top of the first inning.
“[Kelsey] hit well today,” Molloy coach Marueen Rosenbaum said. “But when she started off a little rough, it’s good to know she can come back and resume play. She just worked her hardest and came back smooth.”
Carr wasn’t the only Molloy player who found success at the plate. The Stanners batted through the order twice, connecting on a whopping 14 hits in the abbreviated game. Every player in the lineup recorded at least one hit.
“It’s amazing,” said sophomore outfielder Chloe Guistiani, who went 3-for-3 at the plate. “I’ve never been on a team that is so athletic and so good. To be along with them has been a lot of fun. We’re pretty confident.”
The Stanners took advantage of Fontbonne pitcher Anna Acevedo, who is not the Bonnies’ usual starting pitcher. The Fontbonne hurler struggled to stay consistent throughout the BQCHSAA matchup and Molloy didn’t waste time finding a rhythm in the box.
“I thought she was pitching a little slow, so I moved up in the box,” Guistiani said of her approach. “Just time it and load.”
It wasn’t a perfect game — two Molloy runs were erased off the board after a baserunner failed to touch first and the Stanners notched a handful of less-than-stellar errors in the field — but the squad still managed to pick up the victory and, right now, that’s all the they are worried about.
The Stanners have their sights set on a title, and while they might have been surprised with their early-spring success, Molloy is determined to wrap up the year on a high note.
“It definitely helped that the team came out hitting,” Carr said. “Even now, this wasn’t our best game. But we still pushed through and we know we can keep getting better.”
