Author: Ryan Lanigan

Ryan Lanigan is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of HockomockSports.com. You can contact him at RyanLanigan@hockomocksports.com and follow him on Twitter at @R_Lanigan.

LANIGAN: Expanding The HockSports Team

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To our loyal readers and supporters,

Last week, we announced the next steps for HockomockSports.com, and the response has been amazing – THANK YOU! Going to a subscription-based model provides us with additional resources that allow us to invest in and recruit local talent to help us increase our coverage. We will have a series of paid positions, including our expanded Student Media program. This will allow us to cover more sports, more student-athletes, and more unforgettable moments throughout the school year.

For all inquiries, please reach out to Ryan at RyanLanigan@hockomocksports.com.

Student Reporters – We are thrilled to bring our Student Reporter program back as a part of our newly expanded Student Media program. This program is for anyone that has any interest in sports journalism with any amount of experience. The program includes hands-on training with our editors and the chance to learn and sharpen modern-day journalism skills. Previous student reporters currently work at The Boston Herald, The Taunton Gazette, Yahoo! Finance, Steelers Depot, and more.

Freelance Writers/Photographers – We’ll be extending our game and event coverage throughout the year to make sure we aren’t missing any big games, moments, or achievements. Must have some level of journalism/photo experience.

Photographers/Videographers – We strive to provide complete coverage of the league, and that includes photos and the ever-growing video/social media industry. We’re looking to build a student-led creative media team that can take our coverage to the next level. If you have an interest or passion for creative digital content. If interested, please include examples of work to the email provided above.

Digital Marketing Sales – Over the past 10-plus years, our advertising partnerships have been the lifeline of the site and we very much appreciate each of them for their support. These partnerships give us the ability to deliver their message to a unique and targeted group of people for a reasonable budget. While we take the next step, we are looking to create more partnerships with businesses in the Hockomock communities. We are in search of self-motivated individuals to identify and develop partnership opportunities. This will be a high-commission opportunity. We are looking for people interested in working the entire HockomockSports.com region. If you are well-connected in your community and would like to start there, this is a great opportunity for some extra income.

For the upcoming school year, we are looking to create more partnerships to feature your local businesses on the most popular local website in this region. We have a vast array of advertising opportunities that will market your product directly to potential customers. If interested, please contact info@hockomocksports.com.

We can’t wait for the upcoming school year to continue our unmatched coverage of the best high school sports league in all of Massachusetts. PLEASE forward this to any potential contacts that might be interested in any opportunities mentioned above.

Thank you,
Ryan Lanigan
Editor

LANIGAN: The next chapter for HockomockSports

To our loyal readers and supporters:

My name is Ryan Lanigan and I am the creator and editor of HockomockSports.com. Alongside our Managing Editor Josh Perry, we have created a one-of-a-kind source for unmatched coverage of the Hockomock League. Our goal from the beginning has been to promote student-athletes in the Hock and to provide information you can only find in one place.

Before launching HockSports in late 2011, I covered Stoughton athletics for a hyper-local website Stoughton Patch. As I became more invested in high school sports, I wanted to try something outside the box and create a media source that had everything all in one place. I had no idea at that time what journey I was about to embark on. As a young reporter, I was able to focus on establishing the foundation of what HockomockSports has become: the number one source for players, parents, coaches, and fans for anything and everything related to the Hock. For nearly the entirety of the website, both Josh and I have worked full-time jobs during the day on top of running the site in any spare time that we’ve had.

I couldn’t be more thankful for every single reader that has followed along at any part of this journey. This has grown into something I never imagined it would have and I hope you will continue to support us as we take the next step.

I take great pride in our process; we started with a goal to promote student-athletes and that’s what we’ve accomplished and continue to focus on. It’s important for us that our coverage has a positive outlook. We’ve been there to cover some incredible achievements that include Super Bowls at Gillette Stadium, state championships at the TD Garden and Polar Park, buzzer beaters, game-winning goals in the final moments, walk-off wins, overtime thrillers, and hundreds of personal achievements and record-breaking performances.

As I approach the next phase of my career and my life, it is becoming more and more difficult to work a full-time job while still providing high-quality coverage that meets the standards we have set over the past 10-plus years. The last few months have been a bit of a rollercoaster ride that included a lot of conversations about different potential avenues, and I considered ending the site and this chapter of my life. It took some convincing, but I believe it’s the only viable way of continuing our coverage at a high level.

Starting on August 1st, we’ll be moving to a subscription-based service and will be offering annual, seasonal, and monthly subscriptions. We’ll be brining back some old features and adding plenty of new ones, and we’ll expand our coverage across the board. With the additional resources, I am so excited we’ll be able to add to our staff to increase and improve our coverage including game recaps, feature stories, photos/videos, and more. We are thrilled to re-launch our Student Reporter program and will be looking for students interested in a career in journalism, both print and digital.

I have a completely renewed energy and haven’t been this excited about the direction we are headed since the early years of HockomockSports. We don’t plan on just meeting the high expectations we’ve set in the past, we are looking to raise the bar even higher.

Thank you again for following along, it really means so much to both myself and Josh. I hope you’ll continue your support as we move forward because your support has been vital in making HockSports the go-to source for comprehensive coverage of the Hock.

Ryan Lanigan
Editor/Founder

Escobalez’s Addition Elevates Taunton To Another Title

Johnny Escobalez
Taunton sophomore Johnny Escobalez celebrates after the Tigers recorded the final out to win the Division 1 State Championship. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 WORCESTER, Mass. — A year ago, Johnny Escobalez sat in the stands with his father at LeLacheur Park in Lowell and watched as Taunton claimed a thrilling win over Hockomock rival Franklin.

Just three months ago, Escobalez started the season and spent the first couple of weeks on the Tigers’ junior varsity team.

And now, the sophomore is the winning pitcher of the Division 1 state championship game.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Escobalez tossed a complete game under the bright lights at Polar Park, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and four strikeouts, facing 28 batters without issuing a walk. His seventh win of the season handed Taunton a 7-2 verdict over Franklin for the second straight year in the championship game.

“My dad believed in me,” Escobalez said. “He told me [last year] that could be me, that I could be in the dugout next year, and I thought that would be sick. I never would have thought I’d be pitching in this game.

“I’m so glad that coach believed in me. I started the beginning of the season on JV so I wouldn’t have thought this would happen. I’m just glad to get this opportunity.”

Taunton’s pitching staff faced numerous hurdles throughout the season. Senior Shawn Cali was coming off a tremendous junior campaign but injuries kept him off the mound, and junior Jack Cali, who led the team in innings pitched this year, was limited to just four appearances in May. Ryan MacDougall, who led the Tigers in innings last year, returned to his natural position at catcher this year and only appeared on the mound three times.

That meant opportunity and Taunton head coach Blair Bourque dipped into his sub-varsity pool and moved Escobalez up. The rest is history.

“I remember in the weight room talking to him a couple of times and just being like you know we’re going to need you at some point this season, just make sure you’re ready, and opportunity presented itself, Shawn going down, and he capitalized,” Bourque said. “He’s been phenomenal all season. He’s been able to get ahead, he’s crafty, and he’s a competitor above all. He just loves to compete. I know in our intrasquads I don’t let him hit all the time and he’s bummed because he just wants to play. That’s what you need.

“Enough can’t be said about the performance, being a Eso, and being on this stage. It’s incredible. I’m so happy for him. He’s a hard worker. The future is very bright, but this is a very special day for him and I’m glad the guys were able to get ahead early and he was able to pitch with a lead.”

Escobalez went 7-0 this season in eight starts, holding opponents to a measly 0.143 batting average. He tossed a no-hitter back on May 10th against North Attleboro — in just his fourth career appearance — but that will likely move down the list of accomplishments after beating top-ranked Franklin in the final.

“He’s been incredible this year, no words can explain what he’s done for us,” said senior Braden Sullivan (three hits, two RBI), who moved from third base to shortstop this season. “We lost Shawn [Cali] as a pitcher, we lost Jack [Cali] for a little so he got the call up and definitely helped us. He’s been phenomenal, his stuff has been good. We knew coming in, his stuff would be tough to hit and he did his job today.”

Escobalez pitched from ahead the entire game; a two-out RBI from MacDougall scored Brayden Cali (leadoff single) in the top of the first, presenting the sophomore lefty with a 1-0 lead before he threw a pitch.

The lead grew quickly as the Tigers plated five more runs in the second inning so Escobalez had a 6-0 lead the second time he toed the rubber on the mound.

Franklin’s offense has worn pitchers down all season but the Panthers were never able to overwhelm the sophomore. He worked around a leadoff single from Ryan Gerety in the first and induced a couple of grounders in the second to strand Luke Sidwell at second after his one-out single.

“He’s been awesome,” said Taunton senior Dawson Bryce (two doubles, two RBI), who was also a pitching option for the Tigers at the start of the season but only pitched once more after tossing a scoreless inning at Franklin on May 12th. “As soon as he came up to varsity, he’s been lights out. He’s been a great addition to the team and he’s going to be really dominant again next year.”

A couple of errors allowed Franklin’s first run to score; a throwing error allowed Rex Cinelli to reach, and then another infield error allowed him to score when Eisig Chin made it to first. Escobalez hit the next batter to put two on but a fly ball to Andrew Cali in right quickly ended that threat.

“Nobody knew what his name was before today,” MacDougall said. “He’s a sophomore. Against BC High, he pitched his worst game of the year. He was physically nervous on the mound. Today, you couldn’t keep him sitting down. He was amped all game, pitched amazing, the game of his life, and I don’t think you could throw a better game as a sophomore.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

He retired the side in order in the fourth on eight pitches and put the Panthers down in order again in the fifth on nine pitches. Franklin tagged him for a run in the sixth after Henry DiGiorgio had a one-out single and Sidwell delivered with a two-out RBI but that would be all the damage for the night.

There was little drama in the final inning as Escobalez got his fourth strikeout of the night for the first out, a fly ball to Cali in right for the second, and a pop-up to left fielder Dwayne Burgo to end it.

“There’s no feeling like this,” Escobalez said with a big smile. “This is awesome.”

King Philip Blanks Feehan To Earn Spot In D1 Final Four

King Philip softball Libby Walsh
King Philip senior Libby Walsh celebrates her two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Warriors the lead. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 PLAINVILLE, Mass. – Strong pitching, flawless defense, and timely hitting turned out to be the perfect recipe for success for the King Philip softball team on Sunday afternoon.

The second-seeded Warriors used all three in a Division 1 state quarterfinal showdown with #7 Bishop Feehan and it resulted in a 4-0 shutout win, completing a three-game season sweep of the Shamrocks and earning KP a berth in the state semifinals for the first time in 2016.

“We’re in the nitty-gritty right now,” said King Philip head coach Kate Fallon-Comeau. “This is the end [of the season], there’s only four teams left now. You need to put up that good defense and [have] timely hitting.

“They are always playing together and they are always supporting one another. It’s not always the same person that gets it done, it’s someone different each time.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Senior Libby Walsh clubbed two home runs – a two-run shot in the fourth and a solo blast in the sixth – and sophomore Liv Petrillo added a solo shot in the sixth to pace the offense.

Freshman McCoy Walsh tossed a complete game shutout, scattering just two hits – a two-out single in the first and a leadoff single in the fifth – and issued just two walks. She worked around four hit batters to toss a complete game shutout win.

And maybe the biggest play of the game came in the top of the fifth. With the Warriors hanging onto a 2-0 lead, Feehan senior Trinidy Tavares had a lead-off single, and junior Sarah Dupre drew a two-out walk; a passed ball sent pushed the runners forward, putting the tying run at second.

A hard-hit grounder from sophomore Maddie Coupal looked destined to get through on the right side of the infield but Petrillo made a terrific diving play to her left and fired a toss from her knees, getting the runner at first – on a nice grab from junior Taylor Regan – for the third out and preventing a pair of runs from crossing.

“We kind of live to make those big plays,” said Libby Walsh. “[Petrillo’s] a shortstop playing second base and we’re very lucky to have such a great infield. I knew she had that play, I was kind of running off the field already.”

McCoy Walsh had to work around an early threat in the first inning after two reached with two outs after a hit by pitch and a single, but Walsh got the second of her 10 strikeouts to end the first. Tavares was hit by a pitch in the second but Walsh got a strikeout and catcher Maddie Paschke quickly fired to second and caught the runner for the third out.

“The defense today…I’m just so proud of them,” Fallon-Comeau said. “That diving play that Liv makes, throws her out by a half step at first. I think the outfield made all of their catches. They were solid today and had McCoy’s back. [Bishop Feehan] fouled off a lot of pitches, they had some great at-bats but McCoy battled through every at-bat right up to the end.”

Meanwhile, Feehan starter Mylee Ramer had kept KPs bats quiet for the first three innings. She retired the side in order on strikes, set the Warriors down in order in the second, and got three straight outs in the third with the help of left fielder Breslin Findlen, who made a terrific catch at the fence in left to take away a hit from KP junior Jordan Bennett.

Freshman Ali Gill was KP’s first base runner of the game when she was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth. After falling behind 0-2, Libby Walsh smashed an off-speed pitch deep over the fence in left-center for a two-run home run, giving the Warriors a 2-0 edge.

KP had a chance to add some insurance in the fifth inning but left two on base. Paschke had a single to left and Regan followed with a single to center, but Ramer got a big strikeout and induced a pair of popups to escape further damage.

In the bottom of the sixth, Walsh got ahold of another one and sent a high fly ball over the fence in center field to extend the lead to 3-0. Ramer got two outs but Petrillo drilled the first pitch she saw to right center to make it 4-0.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“They’ve been up for every single game and all of them have been very competitive,” Fallon-Comeau said. “We couldn’t ask for better competition throughout the tournament, and it’s only going to get tougher from here.”

The Shamrocks put a runner on with two outs in the top of the seventh but McCoy Walsh put an end to the game with her 10th strikeout to secure the win.

The win sets up a Division 1 state semifinal matchup with Hockomock League rival Taunton. The Warriors and Tigers split the regular season, each team winning at home. The two state powerhouses will face off at 5:00 on Wednesday at UMass Dartmouth.

King Philip Rolls Past Agawam Into Round of 16

King Philip baseball Matt Kelley
King Philip senior Matt Kelley celebrates with teammates after scoring a run in the first inning. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 WRENTHAM, Mass. — Having not played an actual game in two weeks, it was fair to wonder if the King Philip baseball team would show any signs of rust in its playoff opener against Agawam.

The third-seeded Warriors quickly erased that notion with some early offense and cruised to a comfortable 12-1 win over the 35th-seeded Brownies in a Division 2 Round of 32 clash at Lombard Field.

KP pushed across three runs in the first inning, created a big lead with five more runs in the second, and reached double digits with a pair in the third.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Meanwhile, senior ace Rudy Gately worked around some early threats from Agawam, stranding runners at second and third in the first inning with one out, and then again in the second inning after allowing back-to-back hits to lead off. Gately earned the win, striking out six with four hits and one walk allowed in three innings.

“Having two weeks, we really tried to stay fresh at practice,” said King Philip head coach Jeff Plympton. “We brought some past guys in and had our own guys throw live, so I was happy with how the bats responded today. I think that was one of the better hitting performances we’ve had this year. It was good to get all those guys, all those arms in, and get them an inning.”

KP’s big lead allowed Plympton to get Gately out with under 65 pitches thrown. It also set the stage for four KP relievers to get an inning in relief: sophomore Nate Pennini struck out one and had one walk, junior Tommy McLeish was charged with an unearned run and had one strikeout, junior TJ Ahern only needed six pitches to get through a quick sixth inning, and junior Ian Knott struck out one in a scoreless seventh inning. Freshman Leo Dowling caught all seven innings for KP.

“We have depth, and we were throwing them in practice but it’s better to get them in live game situations,” Plympton said. “To be able to get Rudy out of this one, you know if we go on a run here, having him at 60 pitches in the first game is fantastic.”

Junior Max Robison set the table with a leadoff walk and senior Matt Kelley dropped a one-out single into shallow center to put a second runner on. Senior Tommy Martorano sliced an opposite field double that just fell fair for a two-run double to get the Warriors on the board. Sophomore Aiden Astorino followed with a dribbler that got by the pitcher, and Martorano scampered all the way home to make it 3-0.

A leadoff double from McLeish started things for KP in the second inning, and sophomore Cameron Hasenfus (walk) and Robison (singled) both reached to load the bases.

Senior Brendan Sencaj had a bloop single drop into shallow left to bring McLeish in but Hasenfus was tagged out at third after having to wait halfway. Kelley lined an RBI double for another run and sophomore Drew Herlin smashed a monster double to right to score two more. After advancing on a passed ball, Herlin scored on Martorano’s sac fly to center to make it 8-0 after just two innings.

“We have a good lineup, and some games it would flash and some games it wouldn’t but today, it all clicked together and it’s infectious,” Plympton said. “I think that playoff run last year really helps, and the familiarity of being in this situation. They are a confident bunch. We had a really good practice yesterday, probably the best of the season, which is good because of the long break since our last game.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Gately worked around a one-out double in the third, getting his sixth strikeout to end the inning. KP kept the momentum going in the bottom half when Hasenfus brought Gately (walk) home with a sac fly, and Robison’s RBI ground out plated McLeish (single) to make it 10-0.

Pennini recorded an RBI with an infield single that scored Martorano in the fourth inning, and Ahern reached on an error that allowed Herlin (walk) to come home to make it 12-1.

King Philip baseball (14-7) will meet a familiar foe in the Round of 16 as the Warriors will host Hockomock rival North Attleboro (8-13) on Wednesday at 3:45. The 19th-seeded Rocketeers upset #14 Duxbury, 2-1, on Monday.

King Philip Outlasts Taunton To Earn Share Of Division Title

King Philip softball Sarah Cullen
King Philip softball celebrate near home plate after Sarah Cullen’s game-winning hit in the 10th inning. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 WRENTHAM, Mass. – Entering Monday night’s marquee matchup between two of the best teams in all of Massachusetts, Taunton had already clinched at least a share of the Kelley-Rex division title.

King Philip wanted its share of the throne, too.

KP senior Sarah Cullen smacked an opposite field line drive to left that found its way to the fence and junior Taylor Regan hustled all the way from first to cross home plate in the bottom of the 10th inning, handing the Warriors a 1-0 walk-off win over the Tigers and a share of the league crown.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“Sometimes you just hit a ball, and you just know,” Cullen said. “It could have been anyone on this team though, everyone works so hard. I just happened to be the lucky one to get it done.

“We have all worked so hard for this but we really had to focus on keeping our nerves at a minimum. They are a great team as well. We knew we could do this but we had to carry a lot of energy and confidence into this one.”

The battle between two of the best squads in the state delivered as the game remained scoreless through seven innings, as well as the first two extra innings.

“You couldn’t ask for a better one, it was such a great game,” said King Philip head coach Kate Fallon-Comeau. “We really focus on one at-bat at a time but they were really excited coming off the field each inning, but they were able to really settle in and take it one at-bat at a time in that last inning.

“We knew if we won we’d get a share of the title but it wasn’t the first thing they were focused on. They come into every game and want to win, that’s the mentality they have every time out.”

KP freshman McCoy Walsh escape an early first inning jam and went on to toss one of the best games of her young career, allowing just two hits and three walks, striking out a career-high 17 in 10 scoreless innings of work.

Taunton junior Sam Lincoln was equally impressive, scattering five hits and no walks with 16 strikeouts and no earned runs allowed. Lincoln worked her way out of a couple of jams, including in the 8th inning when she stranded a runner at third after a two-out triple,

“We never want to lose a game but if there’s such thing as a good loss, this is it,” said Taunton head coach Michelle Raposo. “This is a good mental reset for us before the tournament. They wanted it a little more than we did tonight. We didn’t produce offensively through the lineup so we have some things we need to work on but it will prepare us for the postseason.”

The Tigers’ best chance was in the top of the first inning when Kyleah Plumb and Bella Bourque earned back-to-back walks to start the game and Kaysie DeMoura legged out an infield hit on a bunt to load the bases with no outs.

Regan came up with a massive diving catch at first on a bunt attempt for the first out, Walsh induced a grounder back to the circle and got the force out at home, and then picked up her first strikeout to escape unscathed.

“She started off the game with the bases loaded but she just battles, and she battled the entire way,” Fallon-Comeau said. “She has the whole team supporting her. Once she got that strikeout in the first to get out of that jam, I think she settled in and that really propelled her the rest of the game.”

KP’s first threat came in the third when Regan singled to center and took second on a sac bunt from Ava Lanza. Cullen’s first hit of the day put runners on the corners but Lincoln got back-to-back strikeouts to end the frame.

Freshman Ali Gill had a one-out single in the sixth and moved to second when senior Libby Walsh was hit by a pitch but once again Lincoln buckled down, getting a grounder to third for the force and another strikeout to finish the inning.

“We’ve been in that situation a couple of times but they buckle down and can get out of it,” Raposo said. “Whether it’s Sam’s pitching or the relying on our defense…they don’t get nervous and they are very confident defensively. We didn’t have Ava [Venturelli] tonight but our other kids should be able to produce and we just couldn’t string something together.”

“This was two good pitchers going at. Sam pitched a hell of a game and her defense was great. If there was any little error or a mistake, either team is capable to capitalize but there really wasn’t any of that.”

Both teams went quietly in the seventh, sending the game to extras. Taunton’s second hit came on a one-out single from Mia Torres but Walsh responded with consecutive strikeouts to squander the threat.

Gill nearly won the game in the bottom of the 9th when she drilled a shot to right but it hit high off the fence for a triple. Before KP could capitalize, Lincoln got a swinging strikeout to keep the game going.

DeMoura got a hold of one to start the 9th inning with a good hit to center but Cullen tracked back and made a leaping catch at the fence for the out, denying at least a double, potentially more.

“Sarah was like an overdue library book, she was due, she was ready,” Fallon-Comeau said. “She had that great catch in the top of the ninth and I felt really good about her next at-bat. She came back from the tough at-bat before and just ripped that one down the line.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

In the bottom of the 10th, Regan reached after an infield error. Cullen, who had struck out on a check swing in the 8th, laced the first pitch she saw to left for the winning hit.

“Something I really love about this team is that everyone picks each other up really quick,” Cullen said. “After that at-bat [in the 8th], they all picked me up and kept telling me I would get it the next time. When I went up there, I was just ready and had a good feeling about the first strike I saw.”

King Philip softball (15-1 Hockomock, 20-1 overall) finishes the regular season on Saturday with a date against Bridgewater-Raynham on Saturday at 1:00. Taunton (15-1, 18-1) hosts Bishop Feehan on Wednesday at 6:30.

Franklin Clinches Kelley-Rex With Win Over Taunton

Alfred Mucciarone Franklin baseball
Franklin senior Alfred Mucciarone celebrates after recording his 10th strikeout to seal the win over Taunton. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 FRANKLIN, Mass. — The Hockomock League runs through Franklin — again.

The Panthers clinched their fourth straight Kelley-Rex crown with a 7-4 verdict over rival Taunton, sweeping the season series against the Tigers and staying undefeated at 15-0.

The bottom of Franklin’s lineup spearheaded a six-run second inning and senior right-hander Alfred Mucciarone struck out 10 — his fifth double-digit strikeout performance in six starts — in a complete game effort.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“It’s a balancing act,” said Franklin head coach Zach Brown of dealing with all of the storylines surrounding the matchup with the Tigers, including a second rematch of last year’s Division 1 state championship. “Sometimes when you have all this motivation it can work against you in baseball. We have to trust our leadership and when you have these veterans, who are saying all the right things, it makes it easier.”

After leaving the bases loaded in the first, Franklin’s big offensive inning came an inning later. Senior and seven hitter Ethan DePaolo found a hole in the left side for a leadoff single and senior Luke Sidwell battled back after falling behind 0-2 to leg out an infield single. Senior Ryan Carlucci, inserted into the lineup at first base due to an injury, smoked the second pitch he saw to the base of the center field fence to plate the first run of the game.

“It just lengthens us,” Brown said of the production from the bottom of the lineup. “We were playing today without Benny Jarosz, and Ryan Carlucci comes up and has that big double, and he was really good the other day against King Philip too. The bottom part of our lineup has been really productive and they’re relentless with their at-bats. They go down two strikes and they battle away, extending at-bats, seeing more pitches. Sometimes they will go down but what they’ve done is made it easier for the next guys coming up. It’s a team approach to offense and those guys have really developed their own identity. We can do a lot of different things with them and they now know what we’re looking for from them and how they can be effective out there.

“The bottom part of our order is relentless and they got us going there. That gave our more veteran guys an opportunity with runners in scoring position. They’ve worked really hard, great attention to detail, and to see it pay off in games is rewarding.”

That set the stage for the heart of the lineup as leadoff hitter Ryan Gerety (Northeastern) ripped an opposite field double to bring in two. After a single from Jase Lyons, senior Eisig Chin (Stonehill) had a line drive to right — Franklin’s sixth straight hit — for another run. A balk brought a run home and junior Henry Digiorgio (Northeastern) had an RBI groundout to extend the lead to 6-0.

Franklin had only allowed a total of eight runs in its first 14 games so the big second inning certainly put the Panthers in prime position.

But Taunton answered quickly and kept it close the rest of the way. Junior Andrew Cali and senior braden Sullivan had back-to-back one-out singles before Mucciarone got the second out with a strikeout. Senior Dawson Bryce, who will be joining a slew of former Panthers next year at Merrimack, delivered the big hit as he smacked a three-run homer over the left field fence to make it 6-3.

The bottom half of Franklin’s lineup delivered again as Sidwell, the eight hitter, turned a routine base hit into a double with his speed in the bottom of the third. A groundout from Carlucci moved the runner to third and Sidwell came flying home on a wild pitch to give the Panthers another insurance run.

“All year, we’ve been able to limit damage but we knew coming in we wouldn’t be able to afford too many mistakes,” said Taunton head coach Blair Bourque.
“They made us pay the price and we have to do a better job of limiting it. Dawson’s swing got us back in it and we got a little momentum there but Mucciarone is the best pitcher in the state for a reason. We knew it’d be a dogfight and we’d have to be at our best but we weren’t good enough.”

Mucciarone didn’t have much trouble the rest of the way, retiring the side in order in the fourth (two strikeouts), working around a two-out walk to Ryan MacDougall in the sixth, and sat the Tigers down in order in the seventh, punctuated with his 10th strikeout.

Taunton was able to pull one back in the fifth when Cali reached on an error, stole second, took third on a throwing error, and came home to score on Sullivan’s groundout.

“He’s just a special competitor,” Brown said of Mucciarone, who improved to 6-0 on the year with 62 strikeouts. “He’s everything you’d want in an ace: he’s got great stuff, he has tremendous ability, but more importantly are all his intangibles. He’s a tremendous competitor, a great leader for our younger pitchers, and he does so much on a daily basis in our dugout. We’re thankful we have him, he can make you look like a good coach.”

As the Tigers battle some injuries to their rotation, they did get some positive innings from both MacDougall, who was making just his second appearance on the mound, and Bryce, who made his fourth relief appearance of the year.

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MacDougall allowed one hit and two walks, striking out two in two scoreless innings while Bryce had two strikeouts while pitching a shutout sixth inning.

“With Jack [Cali] and Shawn [Cali] injured, we’ve kind of had to rely on some other guys,” Bourque said. “We weren’t anticipating having to use Ryan too much on the mound but we’ve had to start to have him throw some bullpens. Dawson’s been able to come in all year, and we’re being cautious with his arm, and his stuff is electric but we can’t use him much more.”

Franklin baseball (13-0 Hockomock, 15-0 overall) is back home on Tuesday evening to take on the Rocketeers of North Attleboro at 7:00. Taunton (9-4, 11-4) has a non-league matchup at Plymouth North on Monday.

King Philip Cashes In With Small Ball Against North Attleboro

King Philip softball Libby Walsh Charlotte Raymond
King Philip senior Libby Walsh (left) celebrates with classmate Charlotte Raymond after scoring in the eighth inning. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. — The King Philip softball team entered Thursday’s showdown with division rival North Attleboro as one of the best offensive teams in the state, but Rocketeer senior pitcher Kelly Colleran stifled the Warriors for seven innings.

Good defense and a strong outing from King Philip freshman pitcher McCoy Walsh (13 strikeouts) kept the hosts off the board too, and after seven innings the teams were deadlocked in a scoreless game that had just one hit — an infield single from North’s Maryellen Charette.

That’s when KP head coach Kate Fallon-Comeau elected to switch up their offensive strategy. The Warriors bunted in five straight at-bats and capitalized on some head’s up base running to score three times to take the first lead of the game.

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“We hit so many foul balls just straight back so we were just missing, and our bats have been really hot so we wanted to give them a chance at swinging,” Fallon-Comeau said. “We got into that eighth inning and I knew we needed to try something different. Sarah [Cullen] put down that beautiful bunt and beat it out, and we were off from there. We have speed and the personnel to do it, and we were able to take advantage of a couple of pitches to advance and from there it was bunt and steal because it was working.”

After few theatrics throughout the first seven innings, the eighth inning provided even more drama in the bottom half. Colleran led off with a triple and sophomore Arianna McDavitt and freshman Molly Willey drew back-to-back walks to load the bases with no outs. Walsh came through with consecutive strikeouts — one looking, one swinging — and then got a fly ball to Cullen in center to leave them loaded and close out the win.

“We always seem to make things interesting at the end,” Fallon-Comeau said. “We had two conferences, one with me and one with Maddie [Paschke], just to try and refocus her. We just needed her to pitch the game she had been pitching all game long. She’s just a freshman so this was her first big game being in a moment like that. She did a great job today and closing it out.”

North had two hits in the game and also had eight walks but couldn’t get a run across against the Warriors.

“The hard part in the eighth, we had the bases loaded but because we were chasing three runs, there’s only so much you can do,” said North Attleboro head coach Bill Wallace. “I give McCoy a lot of credit, she battled in that eighth inning. I’m thrilled with where we are as a team to be honest. Our younger kids are coming along, and everyone is pulling for one another, and this was a good game to showcase it. I think they are a little ticked off, which is a good thing, but they aren’t down.”

Senior Sarah Cullen dropped a perfect bunt down the third base line and raced down the line for KP’s first hit of the game; before North could get back in position, Cullen sprinted to second to get into scoring position. Freshman Ali Gill also bunted on the first pitch and a throwing error allowed Cullen to scamper home and Gill to take second.

A wild pitch allowed Gill to advance to third and KP’s bunt trend continued as senior Libby Walsh laid one down the first base line and Gill slid into home before the throw. Walsh stole second, took third on a passed ball, and came flying home when sophomore Liv Petrillo pushed a bunt past the charging infield to make it 3-0. A stolen base and a sac bunt from Charlotte Raymond put Petrillo at third but Colleran (15 strikeouts) got a pop-up to second to strand the runner there.

Before the extra inning excitement, the potential play of the game came in the sixth inning. Colleran led off with a walk and moved to second on a sac bunt from McDavitt. A walk to Willey preceded the first hit of the game off the bat of Charette, a dribbler to third, and North had the bases loaded with one out. Walsh got a grounder to second that Petrillo fielded cleanly and fired home, getting the force out. Junior catcher Maddie Paschke didn’t hesitate and quickly gunned one to first to get the double play.

“We practice defense as much as we practice hitting, and as much situational stuff that we can,” Fallon-Comeau said. “We’re trying to figure out what we want to do before we actually get into them. We wanted to get that run at the plate and with Maddie’s arm, we knew she was going to make that play at first. I was not surprised she was ready for that moment.”

Both Colleran and Walsh handled business throughout the early innings. Colleran got four strikeouts in the first inning (the third batter reached after a dropped third strike), and had 1-2-3 innings in the second and fourth, striking out a pair in each. Walsh worked around a leadoff error in the first and then struck out the side in the second.

KP’s Taylor Regan was hit by a pitch to lead off the third and moved to second on a sacrifice from Ava Lanza, but Colleran got two straight outs to strand the runner there. A two-out walk got a runner on for North in the bottom half but Paschke threw the runner out trying to steal second to end the inning.

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The Warriors threatened in the sixth when Cullen and Gill had consecutive one-out walks but a nice play at third from Willey got the force for the second and then an infield pop-up ended the inning.

“Molly at third base had a great game, and there was nothing she could do on that last bunt,” Wallace said. “That’s where the KP poise comes in, they can push a bunt down the first down line, they push a bunt past the charging infield. I give KP credit and I’m really happy with how our team battled.”

King Philip (7-0 Hockomock, 10-0 overall) returns home on Tuesday to host Canton. North Attleboro (5-2, 6-3) will host Foxboro on the same day.

Chaput, Thomas Leave Mark On Canton’s Title Run

AJ Thomas Jeff Chaput
Canton’s AJ Thomas (left) and Jeff Chaput celebrate the latter’s third period goal in the D2 state title game. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 BOSTON, Mass. — As a freshman, Canton’s Jeff Chaput didn’t have the chance to step on the ice at the TD Garden after the season was cut short just before the state championships game.

After a sophomore campaign without playoffs and a loss in the final as a junior last year, Chaput had one final chance to raise the MIAA state championship trophy.

Chaput and the rest of the Bulldogs delivered. After scoring just four goals during the regular season, he lit the lamp for the fifth straight postseason game — after netting just four goals during the regular season — to help Canton secure a 4-1 win over Hopkinton for the program’s third title in the past five years/four seasons.

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“Determination,” Chaput said of the postseason turnaround. “I wasn’t going to lose, any of these playoff games could have been my last game so I wanted to give it my all, empty the tank every single game.

“Goals have to come from somewhere. In the regular season, it was my linemates and things just started clicking in the postseason and I came through when we needed it.”

Chaput’s tally came with just under three minutes to go to give Canton a much-needed insurance tally and a 3-1 lead. Fittingly, it was Chaput’s classmate and linemate AJ Thomas that sealed the deal with an empty net goal with 25 seconds to go.

Chaput and Thomas have emerged as the go-to players for the Bulldogs. The former was assisted by the latter in the first-round win over Medford, both players lit the lamp in a 6-0 win over Wilmington, and Chaput’s goal gave Canton a two-goal cushion against Newburyport.

The duo wasn’t done there as Chaput came up with a huge goal early in the third period that leveled the score in the state semifinals against Duxbury, and then Thomas buried the game-winning goal with just under five minutes to go. Similar to Sunday morning, Thomas had the empty net goal in the win over the Dragons to ice the win.

“They were definitely frustrated sometimes during the season with their lack of goal scoring and we just kept saying, ‘Hey, you’ll score when it matters,’” said Canton head coach Brian Shuman. “Jeff Chaput [scored] four goals in the regular season, five in the playoffs. He’s a guy that’s a four-year player for us and he knows what it takes to win. He stepped up big time. AJ is someone that every person on the other team knows about. They key on him and try to shut him down, but he still finds ways to be productive.”

Hopkinton took the lead just 3:12 into the game, only the second goal the Bulldogs had allowed all postseason. It was also just the second time Canton trailed throughout its tournament run. Juniors Brendan Tourgee and Brian Middleton scored a minute apart at the end of the second period to turn the deficit into a lead.

“We’re all brothers, there’s no way other way to explain it,” Chaput said. “We weren’t going to let what happened last year happen again. We ride for each other, we love each other.”

The Chaput/Thomas duo combined for one final time with Thomas dropping a nice pass to Chaput in stride, setting up a wrist shot top shelf for a 3-1 lead.

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“It feels amazing,” Thomas said. “We weren’t going to let what happened last year happen again. After they scored the first one, we were down a little bit but we weren’t going to let it go. We came together in the locker room and came out in the second and put it to them.

“Me and Jeff were put on the same line about midway through the season and ever since then we’ve become so much closer. We’re more than friends, we’re brothers. It’s amazing to do this with him, I’m so proud of him and he’s earned everything.”

Over the last four years, with Chaput,

AJ Thomas

Thomas, and fellow seniors Leo Owens, Griffin Hughes, Jack Lauro, Jack Digirolamo, James Young, Carson Eagles, and manager Matt Yeaton in the program, Canton finished with a 76-8-5 record, four Davenport division titles, three state finals appearances, and two Division 2 state championships.