Keshin Twins Drive in Eight, Lead Rams to 16-1 Rout of McMahon

Coming off Monday’s huge win over Stamford, the New Canaan Rams softball team wasn’t about to set itself up for a letdown Wednesday afternoon at Brien McMahon High School.

Led by Molly Keshin’s 2-for-2, five-RBI performance, the Rams scored twice in the first inning and added seven runs in the second on their way to a five-inning 16-1 win over the Senators.

“I’m very happy,” New Canaan head coach Danielle Simoneau told NewCanaanite.com. “They were selective at what they were swinging at–they weren’t over-anxious.”

Any anxiety New Canaan might have felt coming into a potential trap game was quickly overcome in the first inning. Sophomore Gillian Kane led off the game with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. After Kane moved to third on a ground out, junior Rachel Keshin walked and took second on defensive indifference before twin sister Molly ripped a double to center, scoring both runners for a 2-0 Rams lead.

New Canaan broke the game open in the second as freshman Bridget Cleary got things going with a leadoff single. A walk to junior Sophia Welch and an infield single by junior Eliza Haney loaded the bases for Kane who made it 3-0 with an RBI single.

Freshman Kara Fahey walked with the bases loaded to extend New Canaan’s lead to 4-0. Rachel Keshin followed with an RBI single and Molly Keshin walked to make it 6-0. Juniors Molly Rochlin and Gabriella Sulpizi hit back-to-back singles to open up an 8-0 Rams lead before Haney capped off the inning with a two-out RBI single to give New Canaan a 9-0 lead heading into the bottom of the second.

Meanwhile, Rams pitcher Kane was in complete control in the circle, limiting the Senators to four hits and no earned runs with four strikeouts.

“Gillian started ahead and stayed ahead,” Simoneau said. “When she starts with that strike and finishes with another strike, then we know she’s off to a good start.”

After McMahon scored a run in the bottom of the second, New Canaan tacked on three runs in the third inning as Molly Keshin drove a two-run home run over the left field fence to make it 11-1 Rams. Four batters later Welch hit an RBI single to center, giving New Canaan a 12-1 lead.

The Rams added three runs in the fourth and one run in the fifth to finish the scoring. Overall the Rams pounded out 16 hits against McMahon (0-3, 0-2 FCIAC), marking the third time in four games that New Canaan has reached double digits in hits and runs this season. Rachel Keshin was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBI and four runs. Sulpizi and Welch were each 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Kane and Fahey both went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI apiece.

The Rams (3-1, 2-0 FCIAC) face a solid Darien team this Friday at Waveny in a key conference matchup. That being said, Simoneau hopes New Canaan will continue this week’s momentum by maintaining the same approach they had against Stamford and McMahon.

“Even though it’s Darien, it’s just another game,” Simoneau said. “We have to go into it inning by inning and keep thinking ‘it’s just softball.’ It’s something they’ve played their whole lives.”