BEACON FALLS — Stephanie Kiley gave the kind of performance in the pitcher’s circle that can lead a team to victory.
Kiley, the Hawks’ senior co-captain, fired a no-hitter April 16 against Wilby. She struck out nine and walked one as the Hawks won in five innings, 21-0.
“Kiley gave us a strong outing,” Woodland head coach Loren Luddy said. “She’s one of our captains and she pitched really well to provide a good example. Our offense is still a work in progress because we did well against Wilby, but then ran into another tough pitcher against New Canaan, and we struggled.”
The Hawks hit everything in sight against Wilby. Junior co-captain Carla Piccolo hit her second home run of the season to go along with two singles. She drove in six runs and scored three times to pace the attack.
Sam Buzgo hit a single and a double, scored three runs and drove in one. Gina Farina added two hits, two runs and two RBI as Woodland recorded its highest run total of the season against the Wildcats.
The Hawks traveled to New Canaan Saturday to take on the Rams of the FCIAC. Woodland fell to 3-2 on the season following a tough 8-1 loss. Cameron Caswell and Farina singled for the Hawks with Buzgo hitting a home run that broke the shutout in the fifth.
“We faced another tough pitcher but we didn’t help ourselves out falling behind by a 6-0 deficit after two innings,” Luddy said. “We held them in check after that, but couldn’t get the offense going until Sam hit the home run in the fifth.”
The Hawks will see their share of tough pitchers coming up.
“Hitting is going to be the key as we face some tough pitchers this week against St. Paul and Torrington,” Luddy said. “The week after we face Holy Cross and Watertown in back-to-back games. So, in a span of eight days, we will see some tough pitching and it will prove to be a test at where we stand.”
Woodland is scheduled to play Sacred Heart Wednesday. The Hawks will host St. Paul on Friday and then travel to Torrington on Saturday.
