Salem State softball program on an upward trajectory under Russo, Leahy

Contact Jean DePlacido @JeanDePlacidoSN | Salem News

Since taking over the softball program at Salem State University earlier this season, head coach Isabella Russo and her assistant, Ryan Leahy, have turned things around quickly.

The Vikings had one of the smallest squads in the MASCAC and just one true pitcher on its roster, but trusted their system and believed in each other. For the first time in a long time, Salem State had itself a run in the MASCAC playoff tournament; as the No. 6 seed, they upset third seeded Westfield State, 9-5, in the opener before going to extra innings in the semifinals against Worcester State before falling, 1-0.

"We had struggled with Westfield during the regular season, but that was a great win in the playoffs," said Russo, who was an assistant coach for perennial WNAC front-runner Johnson & Wales before coming to Salem. "We came to play, and a couple of umpires told me this group was the loudest of any even though we're the smallest."0

The Vikings then gave Framingham State all they could handle in an elimination game before falling in eight innings, 7-6, a game in which FSU had to score four times in the top of the seventh and two more in the eighth to prevail.

So don't look at Salem State's overall record (10-27); focus more on the fact that it went 5-9 in conference play, had a pair of three-game winning streaks and fared much better than anyone could have reasonably predicted in the postseason. All of it points to brighter days ahead for the Vikings.

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