Sussex Academy powers to 18-1 victory

Despite an early spring day that felt like winter April 2, the Sussex Academy softball team’s bats were plenty warm during its 18-1 victory over Dover.

The elder starters got to work early, including a weather-defying dinger from Grayce Glover. Comfortably ahead, the Seahawks started to let the younger girls fly around the diamond.

“This is a very special group,” senior Ryan Lowe said. “There's nobody here who doesn't work hard. We all pick each other up … it's the definition of a team.”

As the game winded down, a pair of eighth-graders, Aubrey Campanese and Rylan Albert, collected their first varsity hits. Campanese wasn’t fazed by the colder temperatures and, like her sister Marley, doesn’t wear batting gloves. But it was Dover who felt the sting as Aubrey smacked the ball into the outfield.

“I just don't think about anything, and I just go for it,” Aubrey said.

She would come around to score a few at-bats later when Marley drove her in. Albert took over at the keystone for Glover in the field before collecting her first hit at the plate. The girls who were done for the day showered Albert with praise when she came back into the dugout.

“They're really supportive, and they were all high-fiving me,” Albert said.

“Everybody was so happy for them,” Lowe said. “They're doing great, they look awesome, and it's so exciting to see such a young class start out and be so successful. It means a lot for the future of the program.”

The game also featured left-hander Bailey LeCates throwing in the circle and her twin sister Rilynn LeCates, a right-hander, close out the game. The latter fielded a ground ball and tossed it over to the former to end the contest 18-1 in the fifth inning.

Sussex Academy will travel to Woodbridge for its next game with first pitch scheduled for 4:15 p.m., Thursday, April 9.