Softball: Pittsfield loses 1-0 walkoff in D-IV semifinal pitching duel
Published: 06-11-2025 2:03 AM |
The Panthers did just about everything right, but couldn’t get the timely hit they need to put away Woodsville, as the No. 4 Pittsfield softball team (13-4) lost to the No. 1 Engineers (17-1) in a 1-0 walkoff.
Both teams loaded the bases in the first inning, but after that the game turned into a pitcher’s duel between Pittsfield sophomore Alex Penney (6.2 innings pitched, one run and four hits allowed, 14 strikeouts, two walks) and Woodsville sophomore Grace Griswold (seven shutout innings pitched, three hits allowed, 16 strikeouts and seven walks).
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the seventh when Woodsville junior Makayla Walker (2-for-3) singled home freshman Joslin Williams.
“That’s the type of game you want at that point in the season,” Pittsfield head coach Gordon Bilodeau said. “Girls played great, both sides. Good pitching duel. We didn’t get that one key hit. We had ample opportunities, probably four good scoring opportunities.”
The Panthers had a chance to plate a run in the first inning when Griswold walked sophomore Nika Perire and junior Ashley Clark, with Penney getting a double in between, to load the bases, but Griswold closed out the inning with two strikeouts.
Pittsfield came even closer to scoring a run in the top of the seventh when freshman Chelsee Chagnon walked, and advanced to second and third on an infield error before getting caught stealing home two batters later.
Until the final inning, the Panthers were outhitting the Engineers, forced Griswold to throw more pitches than Penney had to, and played a clean game in the field.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, reaching the semifinals is a testament to how far the Pittsfield softball program has come.
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Bilodeau remembers talking to Pittsfield athletic director Jay Darrah and learning that the Panthers hadn’t won a game in the five seasons prior to him taking the job. Bilodeau, now in his sixth year as the team’s head coach, experienced two more winless seasons when he started with the Panthers. It’s been so long since Pittsfield was in the final four, nobody remembers exactly when it happened, although Bilodeau has heard from the community that the Panthers made it there in the 70s or 80s. Pittsfield has never played in a softball final.
The team has steadily improved, qualifying for the postseason in 2023 and reaching the quarterfinals last season.
“A lot of it is hard work,” Bilodeau said. “We lost five starters from last year’s team. We had to find a new catcher. Girls really stepped up in their positions. With Alex (in the circle) you’re always going to be in the game and we always seemed to find the run when we needed to, but not today. I commend Woodsville, they played a great game.”
With only senior and one junior, Bilodeau thinks that his squad will be even stronger in the future as his players gain experience, and as long as they keep their current mindset.
“They work hard. There’s no egos on this team. They care about each other as players and individuals,” Bilodeau said. “Today was the kind of game where you hate to see a team have to lose. We played a great game.”