'She has a great presence on the field.': Case's freshman pitcher composed under pressure

SWANSEA — Two of southeastern Massachusetts' finest softball programs — Case and Dighton-Rehoboth —renewed their rivalry in a rematch at Brown Elementary School in Swansea.

In the first meeting almost a month ago, the defending Division 4 state champion Cardinals squeaked out a win over the Falcons in a game dominated by freshmen pitchers Lila Alvarez (Case) and Edy Latour (D-R).

On Monday, Alvarez once again had the last say against Latour.

"I'm shocked Case, D-R is a one-run game again," said Case head coach Shannon Silva said after handing D-R its first shutout loss of the season, 1-0. "We both have two very good offensive lineups. We're generally not a one-run a game team and definitely not, no runs."

Alvarez outdueled Latour, pitching the complete-game for the Cardinals (12-1). She scattered three hits, walked two, hit a pair of batters while striking out a game-high eight batters in 111 pitches. Latour was just as good for the Falcons (11-3), holding Case to just three hits, one walk, a hit batter while fanning three batters.

"We couldn't make the adjustments today at the plate against (Alvarez)," said D-R head coach Katie Holmes. "I can't seem to win against them over here."

The lone run of the contest came in the first inning when senior captain Megan Smith led off with a double and scored on a groundout by Bre Fontes that gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. That proved to be enough for Alvarez, who improved to 10-1 in the circle on the season.

"It doesn't matter what the situation is, Lila is pretty calm out there," Silva said. " As a whole, the team when they went out for the seventh inning and we're winning 1-0, they knew it was a big game. You would not know if it was 0-0 or 10-0, the girls roll themsleves out the same way. There is no jitters to them, which is good to see."

Alvarez's teammates said the right-hander was outstanding in the circle.

"Everything about Lila is amazing," Case captain Skye Dupre said. "She has a great presence on the field. You can tell she is not nervous at all. She is so composed out there and is good great as a pitcher."

"Lila's movement is so good considering she is young," Smith said. "She was able to spot her pitches really well, which is helpful to us in the outfield and the defense in general."

Defensively, both teams made great plays to keep it a one-run game. Left fielder Meg Pereira atoned from an earlier error by making a running grap to her left. Sophomore Camryn Cloonan made several outstanding plays from second base. D-R's Lucy Latour and Haleigh Kelley each had running grabs.

Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Chezsports

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Case softball wins pitcher's duel with league rival Dighton-Rehoboth