For most of this spring, the Belmont High School softball team split practice time evenly between offense and defense. A strong start with that strategy positioned the Marauders for the postseason, but a quiet finish forced an adjustment as the MIAA Division 1 Tournament begins tomorrow.
With a week of practices focused mainly on offense, the Marauders (10-9) are among the numerous Belmont High School teams headed to their respective MIAA Division I tournament, as announced during this week’s bracket releases. Belmont, the No. 33 seed in a 35-team bracket, will play Thursday at 4 p.m. in Fall River at No. 32 Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School (9-9).
“We’ve made a few adjustments in terms of how we practice and we’ve been trying to emphasize the offensive part of the game more,” said coach Joe Tuzzolo. “And we’re hoping that’s going to pay off in the tournament.”
Belmont snapped a 15-year postseason drought last spring with a 10-8 record, topping Everett at home in the preliminary round before falling to top-seeded Wachusett Regional on the road.
“I’m hoping that experience from last year will pay off this year,” Tuzzolo said. “The experience was worthwhile, and the kids being in and winning a tournament game pays dividends this year.”
The Marauders started the season with three straight wins and victories in seven of nine. They lost four of five, won two straight, and closed the regular season with three consecutive losses. While hitting has been up and down, sophomore ace Olivia Ormond’s been as consistent as they come in the circle. She appeared in every game, including spinning a no-hitter against Lexington. Olivia Ormond racked up 187 strikeouts in 133 innings across 19 games. She also bats No. 2 in the order with a .311 batting average.
“If you’ve got a pitcher and she’s having a good day, anything can happen,” Tuzzolo said. “Pitching is everything in softball, and I like our pitcher a lot. When she’s on, she’s real good, and I’m sure she’ll be ready to go.”
Alongside Ormond, the team’s top hitters are senior captains, center fielder Amelia Ormond (Olivia’s older sister) and catcher Josie Kim. Amelia Ormond, a Union College commit, leads the team with a .600 batting average and a remarkable 25 of 26 on stolen bases. Kim, a Colby College commit, is batting over .500 with power.
With almost a week of practices between the regular season finale and tournament opener, the Marauders hope to flip the script back to the early-season success at the plate for a long postseason run.
“We’re hoping that extra focus and attention to detail will help us get that offensive magic back,” Tuzzolo said.
Other Tournament Teams
- Girls lacrosse (13-7) is the No. 14 seed and will host No. 19 Braintree (12-8) Friday, May 30 at 5:30 p.m.
- Boys lacrosse (5-13) is the No. 28 seed and will play at No. 5 Acton-Boxboro (14-3) on Friday, May 30 at 6 p.m.
- Girls tennis (11-8), the No. 16 seed, hosts No. 17 Newton North on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
- Boys tennis (11-8) was the No. 17 seed and matched up with No. 16 Xaverian on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
- Girls rugby (6-0) is the top seed in a four-team tournament and will host No. 4 Brookline on Tuesday, June 3 at 6 p.m.
- Boys rugby (5-1) is the No. 3 seed and will play at No. 2 Xaverian on Wednesday, June 4 at 6 p.m.