Laikyn Nadolny gets in under the tag as the Clovers get off on the right foot with a win over Fall River Force.

The Clovers went 3-0 in the first day of the tournament starting with a 5-1 win over the Fall River Force team. Whitman-Hanson captain Danielle Mitchell gave the Clovers the lead in the third inning with a sacrifice fly to make it a 1-0 game and Nicole Eisenmann made it 2-0 with a two-out double that scored Laikyn Nadolny.

The Clovers got three more runs in the seventh when Kyla Palaschak and Blake Linehan scored on throwing errors and Nadolny scored her second run on Mitchell’s second RBI. Pitcher Stephanie Ameen allowed a run in the seventh inning, but shut down Fall River to give the Clovers the win.

Eisenmann took over on the mound for the second game while Marissa Visocchi took over behind the plate for the Clovers in a 9-3 win over the Connecticut Bombers. With two outs in the top of the first, the Clovers picked up four runs starting with an RBI double by Jordan McDermott, who came around to score with Palaschak on a throwing error. Bonnie Thorne also scored on an error in the inning to give Bay State a 4-0 lead.

After the Bombers got two runs in the bottom of the inning, Ameen put the game away in the second with a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double. The Clovers added two more runs in the sixth with a double by Eisenmann in what coach Paul McDermott said was their most complete game of the first day.

“What’s good about this [win] is that they are from Connecticut and we never see these girls,” said head coach Paul McDermott. “We see a lot of these other teams, so it’s really nice to get the win.”

The Clovers fell behind 1-0 and then 3-1 in their final game on Saturday against Express Navy, but took the lead for good in the fourth inning in a 10-3 victory.

Katelyn Maderios joined the team as an injury replacement and contributed with clutch hitting and strong play at third base.

After the slow start last week, McDermott said it looks like the Clovers are starting to hit their stride.

“When you play club, you are off after high school and you are a little flat,” he said.  “I think the girls are on their game now.”

In the elimination round on Sunday, the Clovers came in as the second seed and picked up their second victory over the Bombers with an 8-4 win led by Ameen’s 4-4 performance at the plate and 5-hit, 6-strikeout complete game on the mound. They then played their way into the finals with a 4-2 victory over the South Coast Storm with Maderios delivering a pinch-hit, two run single in the fifth inning to seal the win. Nadolny was 3-3 with two runs scored to lead Bay State offensively while McDermott and Mitchell made key defensive plays to help the Clovers to victory.

The Clovers then faced off with a top-seeded Mass. Extreme in the finals and lost 8-0 to finish the tournament in second place. By virtue of getting the top seed, Mass. Extreme was able to rest longer for the final, which made a difference as McDermott said three straight games took too much out of the Clovers.

“Three games in a row with triple-h [hazy, hot and humid] weather and the girls just ran out of gas,” he said. “[But] the girls never gave up in this one and showed their poise.”

They will be in action again at the All American Tournament in Lowell taking place July 18 through the 20.