Salem Observer : Salem, softball

Salem silenced - Dover advances after extra-inning win in quarterfinals

Salem Editor — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:23:00 GMT

BY JERRY LIPTAK

Following a May 6 loss to fellow perennial power Concord, Salem softball head coach Harold Sachs spoke of his team’s need to improve its play in the field.

“We’re still very frustrated,” said Sachs. “We believe we should be playing much better defense.”

One month later, half of that statement remained true.

Salem cleaned up its defensive game, entered the Class L postseason as the No. 5 seed with a fine 15-4 record, then shut out Nashua South in the first round on June 3, 3-0. However, frustration lingers after a 2-1, 10-inning, quarterfinalround loss to fourth-seeded Dover on Saturday, June 6.

Sachs credited Dover’s stellar starter, Sarah Morse, with shutting down a Salem attack that produced 168 regular- season runs, including six games scoring in double figures.

The locals’ only sustained attack gave them a first-inning lead. Stephanie Cabral opened the game with an infield hit. Nora Galvin lashed a single to right field with one out, and Cabral scored following an error on the play.

That was it for Salem’s bats, as Morse scattered seven hits in a complete-game effort.

However, the defense kept the Blue Devils in the contest, including throwing out the potential winning run at the plate in the ninth inning, before Dover broke through in the 10th.

Salem loses its starting pitcher against Dover, Dominique Heres, to graduation, as well as fellow captains Erica DePinto and Jen Cabral, and their classmates Ashley Relf and Beth Storie.

As usual, Salem’s strong team has chance to finish first

Salem Editor — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:18:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Following a 1-0 loss to Timberlane in the 2008 Class L softball championship, Salem head coach Harold Sachs reminded everyone his squad is not a oneyear wonder but a program, one that won eight of the last 10 titles.

And the approach this year’s team takes on the field promises to be a carbon copy of what has made Salem High softball so successful. SHS returns a large number of players from last year’s finalist and should challenge to reach yet another championship contest, despite some preseason bumps.

“It hasn’t been as smooth as we’d like,” said Sachs. “The reason is that many of our players have the ability to do a variety of things. When you’re trying to figure out the best combination and they’re so versatile, there’s a lot of indecision.”

Senior Dominique Heres anchors the pitching rotation, followed by junior Nora Galvin and sophomores Steph Cabral and Valerie Bauer, the only one of the four without varsity experience. Heres went 5-0 in the circle last season, while Galvin and Cabral each were 3-0 for the Blue Devils, who won 15 straight to reach the state finals.

“We don’t typically adjust or change parts because the kids have been going through the program,” said Sachs. “We’re not a bunting or a running team. We like to sit back and swing the bat, and we’d like to stick with that.”

The coach also noted his team’s hitting needs continued work, but he expects Cabral, outfielders Julia Gray and Jade Morrison, sophomore second baseman Sarah Bracken and senior catcher Erica DePinto to lead the attack.

The mentor said Morrison and Gray each have shown the ability to hit for power, but the coaching staff is working to get them to swing with more consistency and for a higher batting average.

Sachs added he wouldn’t be surprised or concerned if it took several weeks for the Blue Devils to reach full speed. And the coach always remembers – and reminds anyone listening – that the Blue Devils aren’t built to compete only this season.

“As the younger kids come into the program, they have bridges built for them by the older kids, and they understand how to carry on the history of the program,” he said. “It’s still a very young program, so we’ll work this year but continue to build for years to come also.”

Salem-based Hurricanes a force at Start of Summer softball tourney

Salem Editor — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:07:00 GMT

METHUEN, Mass. – Three tight victories propelled the 12U ASA Northeast Hurricanes to the Methuen Start of Summer Tournament championship. The team went 6-1 during the weekend tourney, which took place June 6 to 8.

“The reason the tournament was a success for the Hurricanes,” said the team’s coach, Mike Wallace, “is that everyone on the team contributed in one way or another.”

The Hurricanes opened with a 10-3 win over the Woburn Hot Shots. Alana Luzzio pitched well, and Sara McCarthy, Sam Cloutier, Hannah Latham, Brittany Wallace and Rachel Murphy joined Luzzio in leading the offense. Kate Arsenault, Justine Monroe, Megan Zuliani, Courtney Green and Jenna Lima turned in exceptional defensive efforts.

The locals followed with a 12- 3 thrashing of the New England Firebirds. Lima earned the win with her strong pitching. Luzzio, McCarthy, Cloutier, Latham, Wallace, Murphy and Arsenault sparked the attack.

Following a 7-3 setback to the Diamond Gems, the ’Canes entered the championship round seeded second and showed their mettle in a 5-3 comeback win over the Rochester Slammers. Luzzio pitched well, and Lima delivered the game’s big hit.

In the semifinals, the Hurricanes doubled up the North Reading Hornets, 4-2. Arsenault controlled the Hornets with a fine pitching effort. Zullini keyed the offense.

The team closed the tourney with a rematch against the Hot Shots. Though the contest was much closer than the tournament opener, a seventh-inning double from Luzzio preceded consecutive infield singles by McCarthy and Cloutier, giving the locals a 7-6 triumph and the title. Luzzio handled pitching duties, helped by solid defense from Lima, Zullini, Green and Monroe.

Salem felled in state championship by Timberlane, 1-0

Salem Editor — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:58:00 GMT

BY JERRY LIPTAK

CONCORD – They claim a storied history. They expected to triumph. And why not? That’s what the girls of Salem softball do – perennially.

However, this year in Class L, parity prevailed. Change was evident throughout a balanced regular season – no team, including top-ranked Salem, lost less than three games. That sense of change carried into an exciting postseason – the Blue Devils won two one-run games to reach the finals.

Then, in the state championship on Saturday, June 14, Timberlane’s Steph Barrett delivered the most devastating change of all.

The Owls’ senior used her off-speed pitch to outduel Salem’s Alex Gallant, 1-0, denying the Blue Devils another crown.

“What are you going to say to a group of girls who’ve been to the championship game three straight years?” said Salem’s head coach, Harold Sachs. “They’re champions.”

Yet Timberlane, with three straight first-inning singles and the contest’s lone run, hoisted the championship trophy at Memorial Field in Concord. Salem’s solemn players and coaches lined up between third and home – some visibly upset – watching the Owls hoot and holler.

Seniors Gallant, Danielle Stoodley, Katie Bettencourt, Erin Lyons and Valerie Boutin played their final game for Salem and their appreciative mentor.

“They’ve all had great careers here,” said Sachs. “And this is a special group of players.”

Indeed, Salem refused to go quietly, putting a runner at third base in four different innings. Bettencourt led off the bottom of the first with a smash the Owls’ second baseman couldn’t handle. She stole second and took third on Erica DePinto’s single. In the second inning, Jennifer Cabral reached on an infield hit and eventually reached third. DePinto walked to lead off the sixth, and pinch runner Geena Terino stole second, then moved to third on a groundout.

Salem’s best chance came in the fifth, when Sara Bracken led off with a triple to right. However, pinch runner Bethany Storie never moved from third.

That’s because Timberlane’s Barrett, a left-hander, mixed a good fastball with a better offspeed pitch. The change up kept Salem’s aggressive hitters off balance throughout the contest. She delivered the change on any count, and she threw it for strikes.

“Steph could have given in to the (pressure-packed) situations and allowed us to get back into it,” said Sachs with a smile and shrug. “At some point, somebody had to get a hit for us, a big hit. I think it was Steph’s ability to change speeds and throw strikes that prevented that.”

But Sachs was excited about his young group and its future. Thirteen players come back in 2009 as Salem seeks a return to the top.

“(My players) have nothing to hang their heads about,” he said. “We lost in the championship, and we won 15 straight games to get there. We’re a program, not a one-year wonder.”

Storm front – Hurricanes whip ASA foes throughout the Northeast

Salem Editor — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 17:05:00 GMT

BY SAPNA PATHAK

When asked which tournament championship stands out as her favorite, Salem native Stephanie Cabral can’t make up her mind.

“Well, we won in four different states and took home six tournament championships this summer,” said Cabral, a member of this year’s Northeast Hurricanes 14U softball squad. “So we were pretty psyched about winning in different places and leaving a mark among New England teams.”

Cabral was joined by Salem’s Alex Borelli and Windham’s Sara Bracken on the American Softball Association team. This summer, the Hurricanes placed first in six of eight tournaments, including three wins in Massachusetts, one in Rhode Island, one in New York and one in the Granite State.

Manager Dean Borelli said the tournament in Glens Falls, N.Y., from July 27 to 29, stood out as his favorite.

“It really showed a lot of character,” said Borelli. “We won in extra innings in the final game. It was hot, and they were really tested in that tournament. We expected to do well this summer, but it was very impressive to see them win in four different states.”

Borelli, who spent eight seasons playing in the Oakland A’s minor league system, kept his players fresh by moving them around each game.

Bracken played second base and outfield, Cabral spent time as a starting pitcher but also played second base, shortstop and third, and Alex Borelli roamed the outfield and infield on any given day.

This year, the trio will display its versatility when it tries out for a spot on the Salem High softball team, hoping to join the defending Class L champion roster.

“It really helps when you can play various positions,” said Borelli. “They move around a lot, and that was something I would do with most of the players this summer. I think it helps them keep up with the changes each game can bring, and it keeps them on their toes not knowing where they’ll start the next day.”

They’ll be back – Woodbury edged in finals after strong season

Salem Editor — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:11:00 GMT

BY SAPNA PATHAK

They know what “Salem softball” means. They’re well aware they’ll see every opponent’s best effort.

They’ve raised a championship plaque in celebration as the best team in the league.

But don’t mistake them for the Salem High Blue Devils.

While SHS softball has seen plenty of state titles, the girls of Woodbury Middle School have carved their own niche among perennial softball contenders.

This year, the Warriors faced off against Londonderry for the Tri-County League Class L championship on June 1.

Woodbury, the only team to beat Londonderry in the regular season, relinquished the title in a 2-1 extra-inning loss after storming through McKelvie Middle School, 14-0, in the semifinals.

“We were nervous because we knew the first game was close and they’d come ready and in full force,” said shortstop Alex Borrelli. “Everybody wants to beat us because we’re Salem. Some people just think that the high school is really good, but then they hear about us being good, too.”

Borrelli drove in the Warriors’ only run on a single to right field, scoring outfielder Lauren Mazzeleni in the bottom of the fourth inning. The score stayed tied at 1-1 until Londonderry scored the winning run in its half of the eighth.

“The top of the order was up (in the bottom of the eighth),” said eighth-grader Stephanie Cabral. “So we thought we could score a run or maybe two and we could win the championship again. It was just upsetting to see the other team so happy about winning the championship.”

Cabral finished her three-year career at Woodbury as head coach Rino Beninati’s strongest overall player. A backup pitcher in sixth grade, Cabral anchored the rotation her second year. This season, she split time between third base, the outfield and the mound.

“She’s my best hitter, my best base runner. When she’s not pitching, I’ve got to find a way to keep her in the lineup,” said Beninati. “We don’t have captains, but she led us. Her and the other eighth-graders were good leaders the whole year through.”

Outfielders Samantha Bolduc, Julia Cone and Mazzeleni graduate this year, leaving a core of seventh-graders hungry to reclaim the title.

Borrelli and second baseman Sarah Frahm should lead the charge next season.

Catcher Stephanie Long will return for her second season, while hurlers Brittney Hall and Nicole Gubellini provide the 2008 squad with pitching depth.

Hall stepped in as a sixth-grader in the last year’s championship, earning the win after Cabral was
injured. Gubellini brings power to the rotation, complementing Hall’s great command.

Sixth-graders Rachel Morrissey and Samantha Cloutier also return to next year’s lineup.

“We won it last year with six sixth-graders,” said Beninati. “So most of these girls have played in, and won, the title before. They’ve got the experience and maturity needed to bounce back even stronger next year. If you ask them, that’s exactly what they’re planning on.”

Back on top – Salem whips Londonderry for second straight title

Salem Editor — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:16:00 GMT

BY SAPNA PATHAK

Cross Londonderry off the list – the list of opponents Salem has rolled through during its Class L softball reign. The Lancers are just another squad which settled for the runner-up plaque after facing the Blue Devils for the state title.

And they’re not alone.

Winning eight of the last 10 Class L championships – and taking the top prize in 14 of the program’s 16 seasons – the Blue Devils completed back-to-back titles with a convincing 5-1 victory at Memorial Field on Saturday, June 9.

Three dramatic, one-run wins moved the locals to the finals, and, afterward, Salem head coach Harold Sachs simply thanked his squad for not letting this one come down to the wire.

“The other three games, they were really close,” said Sachs after the win on Saturday, June 8. “We beat (Nashua) South, 1-0, then the quarterfinals we had to come from behind to win by a run. The Dover game (in the semifinals) came right down to the final out and final hit. I was just glad we didn’t have anything like that again. I’ll take a game like this over a close one any day.”

Maybe testing their coach’s nerves during the tournament’s first three games was enough: this time, top-seeded Salem came out swinging early – and hard.

Leadoff hitter and shortstop Brenna Morrissey drew a walk to open the bottom of the first, coming around on a one-out hit-and-run play when No. 3 hitter Katie Bettencourt slammed an RBI triple to right field on an 0-2 pitch. Senior Casey Stoodley scored Bettencourt on an infield out for a 2-0 lead.

The Blue Devils defense showed style of its own when center fielder Meghan St. Pierre preserved the lead, making a leaping catch with two outs and a Lancer on first in the top of the second.

“They have really good hitters,” said Bettencourt, who finished with two RBI and two extra-base hits. “So if it’s 5-1 or 10-1, we’re really trying to do everything not to let them score because they do it fast if you let them. We know they have good hitting, good pitching. It’s like playing ourselves.”

Salem extended its lead in the third when starter Alex Gallant scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch.

Bettencourt blasted a double to score Gallant in the home-half of the fifth before Erica DePinto made it 5-1 with a two-out double.

Gallant, who allowed one run on two hits in four innings, gave way to Emily Wolfe, who struck out two of the three batters she faced. Chelsea Durso closed the door on the Lancers, tossing two scoreless innings.

“We had a lot of pressure coming into this game,” said Bettencourt. “We’re Salem. We’ve got a target on our backs, and we know that. Today, I think, we played like ourselves, instead of how we looked in the last three games. Today, we looked like our normal selves, definitely.”

And “normal,” in Salem’s case, is synonymous with excellence.

Youth movement – Families’ focus shifts to children in multiple athletic endeavors

Salem Editor — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:20:00 GMT

BY MATT STOUT

It’s a Sunday afternoon in late January, and Colleen and Bob Nagri plan to eventually settle in for the night to catch the New England Patriots’ playoff showdown with the Indianapolis Colts.

Their Dodge Durango – its back windshield plastered with eight metallic silhouettes of different athletes, representing the sports their children, 10-year-old Alex and 9-year-old Kyle, play – sits idle for the moment. Soon, they’ll drive Alex to her soccer practice, and hopefully make it back in time for kickoff.

Tomorrow, she’ll have a lacrosse clinic to attend, while Colleen plays in her Monday night women’s soccer league. In the days to follow, Kyle will run from a travel hockey practice to one for basketball – recreation or travel, take your pick. Alex will also train with her basketball team, and if Bob hadn’t blown out the same knee twice years earlier, he’d have a men’s league basketball game to look forward to. Then it’s games the following weekend.

But it’s not too bad. It’s winter – “kind of that offseason,” Colleen said – and the typically busy week comes after what Bob called a “light weekend” of four practices and three games.

Of course, it didn’t compare to a weekend earlier in the season when Kyle and Alex, between two jamboree soccer tournaments, two basketball games and two hockey games, combined for 10 contests – on a Saturday.

“Half our friends think we’re nuts,” Bob said, referring to the Salem family’s demanding sports schedule, mapped out event-by-event in an oversized day planner. “And the other half is doing the same things.”

With the growth of options and demand in youth sports, the Nagris’ story isn’t uncommon.

At a national and local level, single-sport youth athletes have become more uncommon; neighborhood and regional organizations, better organized than ever before, are accommodating more and more kids; the attraction of higher levels of play, such as those offered by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), has intensified.

From the popularity of events such as the Little League World Series to the growing sums of money families pay to play, there’s no denying youth sports have become a different beast than 15, 10 or even five years ago.

How some of these families juggle it all can be an art in itself. Why they do it can be as abstract.

Youth sports, parents and coaches assert, keep kids active, teach them life lessons of succeeding and failing, and, for a select few, provide an avenue to bigger and better opportunities. For some, it’s fueled by competitive drive; for others, it’s a way to meet and be with friends.

“But other than that, I don’t know why,” said John Riehl, president of Goffstown Junior Baseball and father of 14-year-old Matt and 10-year-old Timmy, who play sports year-round. “I think we’re all crazy.”

‘The Life’

For Marianne and Todd Philbrick, the introduction to youth sports – or “The Life” as Marianne called it – started when now 13-year-old daughter Ellie signed up for cheerleading at 7. It began with five practices a week in August, three to four during the fall season, before her schedule ballooned with intensive lessons at the Bedford Dance Center.

Then Ben, now 12, started playing sports. He tried baseball and currently plays for the AAU’s Black Flies. He also enjoyed hockey and competes for a travel team out of the Manchester Regional Youth Hockey Association. Along the way, he picked up football, lacrosse and basketball.

Next, 9-year-old Rachel found soccer and gets her kicks playing for the Bedford-based New Hampshire Classics, in addition to taking dance lessons.

“It was more like it kind of crept in our day-to-day living,” said Marianne, a Bedford resident. “In the beginning you stay through every practice. You just stay and watch. And then you can’t because child No. 2 has their own stuff, and you have to bring them there. And then two years later, child No. 3 comes along. And before you know it, they’re all in elementary school with a hugely busy schedule.”

The Philbricks are not alone. Desiree Casey, also of Bedford, said between her three children – 12-year-old Ryan, 10-year-old Andrew and 6-year-old Carly – the family covers six sports in football, hockey, lacrosse, softball, swimming and tennis. She didn’t include skiing and snowboarding.

Scott Sprague of Hooksett has two boys – Austin, 11, and Devon, 9. Each plays travel soccer, travel hockey and baseball.

“I think Easter Sunday was the first day in over a year that neither of my kids got out of their PJs,” Sprague said. “It hasn’t happened much, but they got up and Devon goes, ‘What do I have for sports today, Dad?’ I go, ‘You have nothing.’ And he says, ‘What? I don’t have any games or anything? Oh man.’”

As a result, families like the Philbricks, Caseys and Spragues have helped spark some interesting phenomena.

One has been pure growth at the local level. Organizations such as the Hopkinton Youth Sports Association feature roughly 300 kids in baseball, 200 in soccer and 200 more in basketball, all kindergartners to eighth-graders, said president Darren Winslow.

Though there aren’t exact numbers on how many of those kids play multiple sports, that’s 700 registered athletes from a town of 1,544 households, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.

Salem girls softball is another example. Based in what’s always been considered a “softball town,” said president Ann Gubellini, the organization shifted from Little League to Babe Ruth last summer, added several travel teams and saw registration swell from 360 to 440 girls.

The attraction of playing for those travel teams in Amateur Softball Association (ASA) tournaments was a huge draw, Gubellini said, as the opportunities in the sport, from facilities to available leagues, have grown.

“In this area,” she said, “it’s just spun out of control.”

That’s at the local level. Mix in travel teams, and schedules become more hectic.

The juggle

When sports overlap, which parents agree happens most often in October between fall and winter sports and March or April between winter and spring, conflicts arise and the multi-sport athletes are left with decisions.

The general rule is, Marianne Philbrick said, when two events conflict on the schedule, her family and others she knows tend to stay loyal to the sport concluding at the time. When an early April hockey playoff series interferes with a baseball tournament, hockey comes first.

Some coaches are more flexible than others.

“In lacrosse, they (the coaches) said, ‘If you’re trying out, we expect that lacrosse is your primary sport,’” said Desiree Casey of Bedford. “Andrew made the decision that he wanted to try out and that he didn’t want to play baseball. And that’s OK with him. At least the expectations were up front.”

As children get older and the competition become more serious, different choices have to be made – which sports stay and which go.

Marianne Philbrick said her son, Ben, has experienced that, giving up lacrosse and basketball when his AAU baseball commitments became too much at age 10.

Bob and Colleen Nagri of Salem said the same thing about their daughter, Alex, who stopped participating in gymnastics when that clogged her growing schedule.

These decisions are nothing new. Children needing to choose at an earlier age, however, is a recent trend.

“And I’m kind of torn on that, and I think a lot of other coaches are, too,” said Bill Gahara, president of the Hooksett Youth Athletic Association. “But it seems once they become 12 or 13 years old, kids are starting to specialize and are starting to play that one sport year-round.”

That, in turn, has led to even more changes.

The next step

At 12, Jay Yennaco, a Red Sox third-round draft pick in 1995, played 15 games of Little League baseball and a handful more for his town’s all-star team in 1988. He had at his disposal private instructors – perhaps a parent who used to pitch or a high school coach who worked with talented youngsters.

Baseball was the Windham native’s primary sport, and these were his options less than 20 years ago.

“Today, if I was 12 years old, I can play a 70-game AAU schedule. Today, private instruction is run by college coaches, past professional players or at minimum, college players. It’s really an expertise,” said Yennaco, who offers private lessons mainly to high school and college-age players but has had parents of youth players approach him.

“I’ve worked with 7-, 8-year-olds,” he continued. “But I think there are parents out there who would have a 4-year-old come, although I necessarily wouldn’t encourage it.”

Yet, that is the reality for families whose children have chosen to take their athletic abilities to the next level.

With individualized lessons on the rise and more chances to play on a regional or national stage, many families willingly devote the extra time and money, and do so far more than they used to.

Ed Skovron, president of the New England AAU office, said the organization was home to 15,000 regional members when he took over roughly six years ago.

Now, with the addition of more sports like lacrosse and diving, New England AAU features roughly 25,000 members, Skovron said.

The biggest growth among the more established sports has come in baseball, up to 4,000 from 2,500 four years ago, he said.

“That’s what’s happened – kids that have that type of ability, the parents want to see the maximum ability that they have,” said Skovron, who’s been involved with AAU since 1990.

Today, Skovron agreed, families are more concerned with realizing their young athlete’s potential.

“Absolutely,” he said. “All you need to do (to understand why) is go down to Disney World when
they run the (AAU national championships) down there, and you’ll see 375 Division I coaches watching kids there play basketball.”

The draw of earning a college scholarship is strong for many talented athletes, but not every AAU athlete is after that.

“I think you have to play AAU basketball if you want to make the school team or to continue to play,” said Chrissy Sylvain, a Weare native who started the Weare Lady Generals 14-and-under AAU girls basketball team this year. “Even if you want to play (junior varsity), you have to play AAU. If you don’t play, you’re really behind everyone else.”

That’s where many coaches and parents feel youth sports have moved. And it’s not cheap.

Marianne Philbrick, for example, said her family pays $1,500 for Ben to play AAU baseball with the Black Flies.Yennaco, who also serves as the Nashua Pride’s pitching coach, said private instruction for baseball players, depending on the instructor, can run from $30 to $45 for a 30-minute lesson and $55 to $75 for an hour.

Rob Day, goalie coach for the Hooksett-based New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs and co-founder of Puckstoppers goaltending, said private instruction in his field can range from $80 to $100 per hour and, in some cases, up to $300 per hour.

He also estimates there are eight to 10 legitimate goaltending instructors in New Hampshire alone.

“The day of the three-sport guy is pretty much gone,” said Day, who has 139 athletes in his database and added 65 in the last two years. He said he’s worked with some as young as 8. “The bar has been raised quite a bit. There are more opportunities for kids, but everybody’s always looking for that little edge.”

The sacrifice

When Bob Nagri drives through his neighborhood, he sees driveway basketball hoops and hockey nets. Much like in his home, he knows there are buckets of balls and sticks in neighboring garages and basements.

Rarely does he see kids playing with them.

“When I was a kid, we’d rush home, get our homework done and get out there playing as a group until the lights went out,” Nagri said. “Now, they do their homework, and they have a half an hour before they have to be at practice.”

It’s just another subtle change in the landscape of youth sports. The costs, which several families estimated were $5,000 to $15,000 annually, stand out.

The miles do, too. Scott Sprague and his wife, Lisa, whose two sons play travel hockey, bought a sedan a year and a half ago for better gas mileage on tournament trips to Canada. The car, new then, now has 36,000 miles on it.

Steve and Kelly Kirkpatrick, Bedford residents with four boys who play year-round sports, have two minivans to make the travel easier.

But maybe it’s the small changes – fewer family dinners, lazy Saturday afternoons that are no more, extinction of family vacations taken on a whim – that stand out most.

“Family life in general has changed,” said Steve Kirkpatrick. “It’s more accepted that parents take their kids one direction or another a lot of different nights, and they give up family dinners and stuff like that.”

In the end, these are changes they embrace.

“My life is around my kids,” said Colleen Nagri. “So if they want to do it, I’ll do whatever I can to make it happen.”

Defending champs constantly reminded how to win

Salem Editor — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 23:52:00 GMT

BY SAPNA PATHAK

If you must, credit the hitting and fielding drills, the countless hours spent teaching the fundamentals of fast-pitch. But the secret to head coach Harold Sachs’ consistent success with Salem High’s softball team is a notion.

Indeed, instilling the idea that teamwork breeds championships has kept the Blue Devils a Class L powerhouse for years.

“He talks to us about being a team and working as one unit,” said Salem junior Danielle Stoodley. “Don’t get me wrong, he talks a lot about softball, but he mostly focuses on showing us that individual performances don’t matter if we don’t have a strong team together.”

Stoodley will be joined by older sister Casey as two of a handful of returners to the Class L defending champion’s roster. Senior Casey Stoodley returns as one of three Blue Devils captains. The third baseman shares those duties with juniors Brenna Morrissey and Katie Bettencourt.

Though the team graduated six seniors, it welcomes four back in Casey Stoodley, Chelsea Durso, Emily Wolf and Amanda Norton.

Durso, who earned three wins in last year’s tournament, anchors the Blue Devil rotation along with Wolf. Norton and Bettencourt will share time behind home plate as catcher.

While this year’s squad is primarily sophomores and juniors, both Stoodley sisters said that won’t hinder another championship run.

“Our confidence is high because we pick each other up,” said Casey Stoodley. “If one of us has a bad night, our teammates are there to keep you positive and not get down on yourself. Team chemistry is a huge, huge part of success, and we really have that.”

Transitioning into more of a leader came easily to Casey Stoodley, who said she began taking more personal responsibility last season. Winning a state title with Salem’s girls volleyball team in the fall kept the sweet taste of winning fresh for both Stoodleys.

Though last season’s squad used strong pitching and a solid defense in taking the title, this year’s group should show more spark on offense. Salem’s improved offense could give it an edge among a slew of Class L clubs boasting stellar rotations.

“Last year we struggled with the bat a little,” said Casey Stoodley. “But this year I think we’ve really gotten better, and things should be different.

We’re aware that we’re starting out fresh, though, and anyone could beat anyone. That’s how Class L is.”

The Blue Devils open their season on Wednesday, April 11, when they host Manchester West.