Midseason meet-up for Classical and Swampscott, plus some softball

SWAMPSCOTT —- From 70 degrees and sunny to darkness and pouring rain, the Lynn Classical and Swampscott softball teams experienced it all Thursday evening. The game was suspended in the bottom of the fifth inning after multiple rain delays and eventual lightning.

The Lady Rams were ahead, 7-2, but it was a good time for both coaches to evaluate around the midseason mark.

For Swampscott, it’s under the direction of first-year coach Brittany Coppinger. Despite the deficit, she liked what she was seeing.

“I really think we have a shot with them. I think we’re pretty evenly-matched and our kids have been hitting well,” she said. “I think the kids had a couple of slips with the wet fields that we would have had on our side, too, if the lighting never came.”

Something noticeable for the Big Blue is the amount of hits they’ve been getting in recent games.

“Overall, the kids are gelling really well and hitting really well,” Coppinger said. “They’ve been working really hard in practice. After we got mowed down by Marblehead, we started to learn how to hit on the choke-up, working on getting hits with the smaller swing. I think that’s been really helping them.”

And practice makes perfect, according to Coppinger.

“Every time we practice, I have a list of stuff to work on and what we can do to get better,” she said. “They’ve been working hard to become better players.”

Although it’s her first season at the helm, Coppinger knew a lot of her players ahead of time.

“I’ve been very lucky for my first year. I’ve had kids that I’ve known since they were in the seventh grade and they’re coming together,” she said. “The proudest moment for me is that they’re actually a team. They are a team and are with each other. That’s something I cannot teach.”

For Lynn Classical, it’s seen a lot of success in recent years. Under the tutelage of coach Joe Morin, his Lady Rams are finding their groove, offensively and defensively.

“Even against Everett, the score wasn’t great, but we’ve been hitting better and being more aggressive in the last few games,” Morin said. “We made some great plays in the field. I made some adjustments the last few games and the defense is coming along, so, hopefully, it continues to roll once we get into the tournament.”

The Rams’ top of the order has been on a tear, to boot.

“They’ve been killing it. Lauren (Wilson), last game, hit a home run, Nevaeh (Eth) is back on fire, also hitting a home run as well,” Morin said. “Brooke (Braswell) has been solid all year. She’s hitting the ball hard.”

Speaking of Braswell, she kept her hot bat intact with two RBI before Thursday’s wet ending.

Both teams hope to resume play on Saturday, but no official date has been determined.

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