King Philip Blanks Feehan To Earn Spot In D1 Final Four

 
 
 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.