Tag: Alyjah Marshall

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 06/23/21

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
D1 South
#8 Norwood, 7 @ #1 Franklin, 11 – Final – Franklin’s offense stayed hot in the postseason as the Panthers pushed across double-digit runs for the second straight game (and sixth time this season) in an 11-7 win over upset-minded Norwood, the #8 seed in the bracket. Franklin built a four-run lead (6-2) through the first four innings but the Mustangs rallied to tie the game with a four-run fifth inning. Franklin responded with five runs in the bottom half and never looked back to book its spot in the D1 South semifinals. Franklin received contributions from up and down the lineup with Nate Cooke (run, RBI) and Jack Marino (run, two RBI) each recording a pair of hits in the win. Chris Goode added two runs on two walks, a hit, and an RBI, Ryan Gerety and Luc Boudreau each scored a pair of runs, Jake Fitzgibbons smacked an RBI double, and Ben Jarosz had an a hit, a walk, and an RBI. James Kuczmiec earned the win in relief, tossing 1.1 innings with one run allowed on one hit and two walks, striking out one. Sophomore Alfred Mucciarone was had a strong start, allowing two runs on four hits over four innings without issuing a walk. Franklin will play #13 seed BC High on Friday at 7:00.

#7 Taunton, 13 @ #2 Bridgewater-Raynham, 0 – Final – Taunton had one of its best showings of the season, tying a season-high with 13 runs while blanking the #2 seed Bridgewater-Raynham to advance to the D1 South Semifinals. On the mound, senior Danny MacDougall tossed six shutout innings, working around four hits and three walks while striking out three in the win. And offensively, MacDougall had a pair of hits, driving in one run while scoring four times. Sophomore Ryan MacDougall had a big day a the dish for the Tigers, who scored single runs in the first and second innings, twice in the fourth, three times in the sixth, and put the game away for good with six runs in the top of the seventh inning. The younger MacDougall had three hits on the day, driving in five runs — one on an RBI single in the first, two on a base hit in the fourth, and two more in the sixth. Alyjah Marshall recored three RBI and a run, Dawson Bryce had three hits, three runs, and two RBI, Braden Sullivan added two hits and two RBI, and Colby DeCouta scored once and had two hits in the win. Taunton will travel to #3 Xaverian in the D1 South Semifinals on Friday at 4:00.

D2 South
#8 North Attleboro, 17 @ #1 Nauset, 9 – Final (8 Inn.) – Down to its last out in the seventh inning, North Attleboro rallied to tie the game to force extras, where the Rocketeers pulled away to earn a big win over previously undefeated Nauset. In another roller coaster, back-and-forth contest, North scored twice in the final frame to stay alive. Christian Bates was hit by a pitch to lead off, Jared Penta singled to left to move pinch runner Eric Malcolmson to second and sophomore Derek Maceda was intentionally walked to load the bases. Junior Gavin Wells, who had the game-winning hit against OA in the opening round, hit a two-out, two-run single to center to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning. North senior Aidan Weir tossed a scoreless seventh inning to force extras as sophomore Aidan Conrad threw a runner out at second to end the inning. In the top of the eighth, Penta (four hits) plated Tyler Bannon with a single down the third base line to give North a 10-9 advantage. North went on to score seven more runs on four hits, six walks, and two hit batters. In total, the Rocketeers recorded 15 hits, 14 walks and three hit batters, bringing in 16 of the 17 runs on an RBI. North jumped out to an early lead (4-0 on a hit, error, and six walks) but Nauset battled back to tie the game 5-5 after three innings. The Warriors took their first lead in the top of the fifth but Maceda stroked a two-run single to put North back in front, 7-6, in the sixth. Nauset took a 9-7 lead with a three-run home. Weir closed the game out in the bottom of the tenth with a pair of ground outs and a strikeout. North Attleboro will play again on Friday, scheduled for a 4:00 PM start against the winner of #4 Dighton-Rehoboth and #5 Hopkinton.










Softball
D1 South
#9 Walpole, 0 @ #1 Taunton, 9 – Final – Taunton jumped out to an early lead with a pair of runs in the first inning and added runs in four of the next five innings to take down the visiting Timberwolves of Walpole. The Tigers scored a pair of runs in each the first, third, fifth and sixth innings, tacking on a single run in the fourth. Meanwhile, senior Kelsey White continued her dominance in the circle with another complete game shutout. In seven innings, White allowed four hits and one walk while striking out 15 batters. Offensively, the Tigers had nine hits with White smacking a pair of home runs, driving in a total of four. Senior Hanna Aldrich had three runs, including a triple and a home run, finishing with three RBI. McKenzie McAloon added a hit and an RBI for Taunton. Taunton will host Hock rival and #4 seed King Philip on Thursday at 7:00.

#5 Plymouth North, 3 @ #4 King Philip, 9 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

#10 Mansfield, 5 @ #7 Silver Lake, 8 – Final – Mansfield tried to mount a seventh inning comeback but was unable to erase a five-run deficit and saw its playoff run come to an end at Silver Lake. The Hornets trailed 8-3 heading to the final inning, but Callie Lake doubled, pinch hitter Olivia Harnden walked, and Jill Koppy singled to bring in a run. With two runners on, Casey Moussette hit a deep fly ball, but it stayed in play for the center fielder. It was Mansfield that got off to a good start to the game, with a pair of two-out runs in the first. Koppy started the rally by getting by a pitch, Moussette singled, and Molly Kucharski brought both runs in with a single. The Hornets pushed the lead to 3-1 in the fourth on a Nicole Kobasa double and an Alanna Conley RBI single. Silver Lake was able to score twice to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning and went ahead with four runs in the fifth.

D2 South
#12 Foxboro, 5 @ #4 Notre Dame Academy, 0 – Final – Emma Callahan struck out six and allowed only two hits to record a shutout and keep Foxboro’s playoff run going. Fiona Dunn had a big hit from the seven-hole, leadoff hitter Peyton Feldman scored a pair of runs, and Morgan Sylvestre had a sac fly with a deep fly to center. Foxboro coach Mark Maguire said, “We took advantage of some mistakes to get some runs and we’re on to the semis.” The Warriors will travel to top seed Middleboro on Thursday at 6:30.

Boys Lacrosse
D1 South
#9 Wellesley, 5 @ #1 Franklin, 10 – Final – Click here for a Recap and a Photo Gallery from this game.

Girls Lacrosse
D1 East
#5 Lincoln-Sudbury, 7 @ #1 Franklin, 10 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.

Boys Tennis
D1 South
#3 Sharon, 0 @ #2 Brookline, 5 – Final

Boys Volleyball
Central
#6 Wachusett, 0 @ #2 Milford, 3 – Final – Milford will host #9 seed Lincoln-Sudbury in the Central sectional final on Friday at 5:00.

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 06/18/21

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
D1 South
#26 New Bedford, 0 @ #7 Taunton, 10 – Final (5 Inn.) – Taunton belted out 10 hits and walked nine more times to produce 10 runs in a five-inning rout of #26 New Bedford. Senior Alyjah Marshall led the charge for the Tigers, going 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk, smacking a pair of triples and driving in five runs. Sophomore Braden Sullivan added a hit and two RBI in the win. Senior Conor Quinlan earned the win on the mound, allowing just one hit without issuing a walk in four scoreless innings of work, striking out two. Taunton will host #10 seed Walpole on Monday at 4:00.

#21 Weymouth, 2 @ #12 Mansfield, 8 – Final – Mansfield scored in four straight innings punctuated by a big sixth inning to earn a win at home over visiting Weymouth. The Hornets pushed across two runs in the third, one run in each the fourth and fifth innings, and put the game away with a four-run sixth inning. Junior Anthony Sacchetti tossed six scoreless innings before the Weymouth offense got going. Sacchetti (6.1 IP) earned the win, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks, striking out seven. Offensively, sophomore Conner Zukowski had two of the Hornets’ eight hits, including a triple, and drove in four runs to lead the way. Luke Urban (run), Liam Anastasia (run), and Jared Fraone (double, two runs) all had a hit and an RBI in the win. Mansfield will travel to #5 seed Wellesley on Monday at 4:00.

#22 Attleboro, 11 @ #11 Hingham, 5 – Final – Attleboro outscored Hingham 7-0 over the final three innings to earn an upset win over the Harbormen on the road. Hingham held a 5-4 lead going into the fifth but the Bombardiers pushed across four runs to take an 8-5 lead and then put the game away with three more runs in the seventh. Sophomore Danny Johnson had a huge day at the plate for Attleboro, going 5-for-5 and recorded six RBI. He also came in and pitched a scoreless seventh inning to secure the win. Dillon James came on in relief to get the win, allowing two hits with six strikeouts in 4.2 innings of work. Matt McMahon (3-for-4) and Evan Houle each clubbed a pair of doubles while senior Bailey Camacho had a pair of hits. Attleboro will travel to #6 seed Braintree on Monday night at 7:00.

D2 South
#17 Sharon, 5 @ #16 Somerset-Berkley, 8 – Final

D3 South
#18 Foxboro, 4 @ #15 Sandwich, 6 – Final – Foxboro had the tying run on base and the go-ahead batter at the plate in the top of the seventh inning but a bad bounce closed the door on the Warriors’ season. Sandwich scored once in each the second and third innings to stake a 2-0 lead but Foxboro responded with a run in the fourth and a run in the fifth to tie the game. Sandwich came back with four runs in the sixth to take the lead; Foxboro pushed across two in the top of the seventh and had runners on the corners but a ground ball hit one of the base runners and the Knights got the final out. Junior Mike LaVita went 3-for-3 at the dish with a run scored while sophomore Ryan LeClair (RBI, run) and senior Cam Prescott (two doubles, RBI) each had a pair of hits in the win. Mike O’Toole and Jack Watts both knocked in a run as well.










Softball
D1 South
#27 Durfee, 8 @ #6 North Attleboro, 9 – Final (10 Inn.) – Ally Levine’s 10th inning single brought in Belle Clarkin with the game-winning run, as North avoided the upset and advanced to the next round. Clarkin started the two-out rally in the 10th with a single. She advanced to second on a Zoey McDonough base hit and got to third after Shaelyn Burns walk. Levine provided the big moment walking it off with an RBI-single. Mandi Hanewich had a big day at the plate for North, recording three hits, including a two-run homer. Emily Nardelli reached base four times (three walks and a hit), Grace Simmons had a hit and two walks, Julia Forman had a double and a run scored, and Emma Bailey was on base twice. McDonough threw all 10 innings and struck out 16 to get the win. North will host #11 seed Bridgewater-Raynham on Monday morning.

#19 Whitman-Hanson, 2 @ #14 Attleboro, 15 – Final

#17 Marshfield, 7 @ #16 Stoughton, 10 – Final – Down to their final six outs, Stoughton rallied to erase a five-run deficit and stun visiting Marshfield. The Rams held a 7-2 advantage going into the bottom of the sixth but Stoughton put together eight hits to score eight runs, knocking off Marshfield in the playoff opener for both squads. Senior Nicole Baker, who tossed a complete game, helped her own cause by going 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI. Junior Sydney Menz added three hits as well, including a double and a triple, with two RBI, Julia Driscoll plated two runs with a base hit, Melody Casna added an RBI double, and Kate Bulger chipped in with a pair of hits. Alyssa Edwards, Julie Powers and Sarah McGrath all had a single in Stoughton’s big sixth inning. Stoughton will travel to #1 seed Taunton on Monday at 6:30.

#18 Mansfield, 10 @ #15 Needham, 0 – Final – Mansfield scored early to get in front and then put the game away with seven runs over the final two innings to secure the win at Needham in the D1 South preliminary round. The Hornets grabbed three runs in the first. Callie Lake led off with a single, Liv Madeira walked, and Jill Koppy singled to load the bases. Casey Moussette provided what turned out to be the game-winning hit with a single that plated two. Nicole Kobasa added a single to make it 3-0. Third baseman Olivia DeTrolio came through with a big defensive play in the fourth, erasing a lead-off triple by getting the lead runner on a fielder’s choice. Mansfield broke the game open with a four-run sixth. Molly Kucharski started the rally with a walk, followed by singles from Ashlyn Conley and Kobasa. Alanna Conley drive in a pair and the Madeira followed with a two-run single of her own. The Hornets tacked on three more in the seventh with four hits and a walk all with two outs. Mansfield will face another road trip to a Bay State Conference opponent when it travels to #2 seed Natick on Monday.

#23 Franklin, 6 @ #10 Hopkinton, 18 – Final

D2 South
#21 Medfield, 0 @ #12 Foxboro, 12 – Final (5 Inn.) – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.

#22 Canton, 5 @ #11 Cardinal Spellman, 4 – Final – Canton was able to hold on to pull the upset on the road against Spellman and advance in the D2 South sectional. Liz Bickett sparked the offense with a big two-run homer in the third inning. Sarah Kelly went 2-for-3 and scored two runs and Steph Trendell also drove in a pair of the Bulldogs. Sophia Santos went the distance and struck out seven to pick up the win. Canton will travel to face #6 seed Plymouth South on Monday afternoon.




Boys Lacrosse
D1 South
#17 Weymouth, 6 @ #16 Mansfield, 8 – Final

#18 Attleboro, 4 @ #15 Marshfield, 18 – Final

D2 South
#16 North Quincy, 1 @ #1 Canton, 16 – Final – Top-seeded Canton opened its playoff run in style, earning a big win over North Quincy. The Bulldogs built an early 3-0 lead, extended it to 8-0 by halftime and carried a 15-0 advantage into the fourth quarter. Junior Sam Carlino paced the offense with seven goals and four assists and senior Michael Mondillo added a pair of goes in the win. Freshman Brendan Tourgee won 12 face offs, scoring twice with one assist while classmate Pat Drury scored twice and had three helpers. Canton will host #8 seed Nauset on Monday at 5:00.

D2 Central/East
#9 Belmont, 7 @ #8 North Attleboro, 20 – Final




Girls Lacrosse
D1 East
#10 Mansfield, 0 @ #7 Concord-Carlisle, 20 – Final
#12 North Attleboro, 2 @ #5 Lincoln-Sudbury, 20 – Final

D1 South
#18 Whitman-Hanson, 13 @ #15 Canton, 12 – Final (OT)
#17 Marshfield, 9 @ #16 Taunton, 7 – Final

Boys Tennis
D1 South
#14 Attleboro, 0 @ #3 Sharon, 5 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this match – Sharon started its tournament run with a 5-0 sweep of Hockomock rival Attleboro, winning all five matches in straight sets. Freshman Mehul Bhattacharyya picked up a 6-0, 6-1 win at first singles, Ruemon Bhattacharyya added a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles, and Max Chen grabbed a 6-0, 1-0 win at third singles. Junior Deyan Kassev and freshman Matthew Lally emerged with a 6-0, 6-2 win at first doubles while the team of sophomore Mitch Weiss and freshman Alex Budovalcev didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at second doubles. Sharon will host #11 Plymouth North on Monday at Sharon Middle School at a time to be announced.

#9 Mansfield, 0 @ #8 Needham, 5 – Final

#10 North Attleboro, 0 @ #7 Newton North, 5 – Final

#12 King Philip, 1 @ #5 BC High, 4 – Final – King Philip senior Nick Putney was the lone winner for the Warriors as BC High claimed a 4-1 win at home. Putney grabbed a hard-fought 6-2, 6-4 win at first singles for the lone KP point.

D2 South
#11 Foxboro, 0 @ #6 Westwood, 5 – Final




Girls Tennis
D1 South
#9 Mansfield, 0 @ #8 Sharon, 5 – Final

#12 Attleboro, 0 @ #5 Bishop Feehan, 5 – Final

#14 Franklin, 0 @ #3 Wellesley, 5 – Final

D2 South
#1 Foxboro, 4 vs. #16 Somerset-Berkley, 1 – Final – Foxboro’s dominance in singles action carried over into the playoffs as the Warriors rolled to a win over visiting Somerset-Berkley. Athena Li notched a 6-0, 6-1 win at first singles, Pam Nelson didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 decision at second singles, and Sarah Prag rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 win at third singles. Foxboro got its fourth point from the second doubles team of Makayla Peck and Juliana Preston, who secured a 6-0, 6-1 victory. Foxboro, one of four undefeated teams in the D2 South bracket, will host #8 seed Monomoy on Monday at 5:00.

Wrestling
D2 South
#7 Oliver Ames, 18 @ #2 North Attleboro, 50 – Final – Click here for a Recap from this dual meet.

#5 Sharon, 31 @ #4 Duxbury, 48 – Final

D2 Central
#7 Canton, 12 @ #2 Milford, 45 – Final

D3 South
#4 Middleboro, 12 @ #1 Foxboro, 72 – Final

Boys Volleyball
Central
#10 King Philip, 3 @ #7 Nipmuc, 1 – Final

Taunton Prevails With Win Over OA In Tiger Bowl

Taunton football Josh Lopes
Taunton junior Josh Lopes (5) takes a handoff from quarterback Trent Santos in the first quarter against OA. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
NORTH EASTON, Mass. – Taunton and Oliver Ames entered Saturday afternoon’s contest as near mirror images of one another.

Of course, both schools sport orange, black, and white and have the Tiger as their mascot, but the similarities carried onto the field as well.

Both OA and Taunton came in with one win overall and in search of their first Hockomock victory, their defenses allowing nearly identical points per game.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

So it’s no surprise the teams had nearly identical stats when they clashed on the new turf field at Muscato Stadium.

But in the end, it was Taunton that made just enough plays — scoring on their opening drive of each half, and using a pick-six early in the game to earn a 21-6 over OA in the annual matchup dubbed The Tiger Bowl.

Taunton’s defense quickly forced a punt on the first series of the game and the offense rewarded them with a lengthy drive ending in six points. The visiting Tigers marched 63 yards on 13 plays, including the final seven coming in the red zone.

A healthy dose of Josh Lopes (18 carries, 76 yards) and Bretton Heggs (13 carries, 51 yards) on the ground helped Taunton moved the sticks. The drive included a pair of third down conversions from Lopes and a fourth down conversion from the 10-yard line from Heggs.

Sophomore quarterback Trent Santos (6-for-8, 42 yards) finished the drive with a sneak from one yard out. Taunton took a 7-0 lead following Collin Knorr’s extra point with 1:35 to go in the first quarter.

Oliver Ames looked to respond immediately but a personal foul backed the hosts up, and on third down Taunton junior Kedrick Santos jumped a route, intercepting the pass and taking it to the house for a 25-yard pick-six. Knorr’s point after put Taunton ahead 14-0 with under a minute to go in the opening quarter.

“It was huge, it was right after we had scored so the timing of it was big,” said Taunton head coach Brad Sidwell. “We knew we needed to run the ball but [OA] did a good job getting guys up there so we were running into too many. So it was a big play for us to get a touchdown from our defense and go up two scores.

“We knew their quarterback could throw the ball but [Santos] was able to read it and get under it and make a play.”

That would be the only scoring for the opening half. OA had a nine-play drive in the middle of the second quarter stall at midfield when Taunton stuffed a fourth and one run to force a turnover on downs.

OA’s defense did its part for the remainder of the half, limiting the visitors to just six yards combined over its next two drives, both ending in punts.

Sam Stevens and Nick Gillis combined for a sack on third down on Taunton’s third drive, and Max Anderson and Nathan Cabral had back-to-back sacks on the next series, forcing the visitors to go backward.

Taunton opened the second half at its own 48-yard line after Nathan Arieta was alert to OA’s onside kick attempt. The visiting Tigers picked up key conversions again on this drive with Santos hitting Arieta for a first down, and Lopes rushing for two yards to convert a fourth down, putting Taunton into the red zone.

The visitors ran six plans inside the red zone this time, including an eight-yard scamper from Heggs that moved the chains on third down. Three plays later, Santos kept it himself from one yard out for another touchdown and a 21-0 lead. The 13-play, 52-yard drive took nine minutes off the clock.

“We had a couple of good conversions on third down that helped us move the ball, and it was big to get another touchdown to start the second half,” Sidwell said.

“I think having the two-score lead, which was the first one we’ve had this year, gave the kids some confidence. And I think the defense fed off of that too.”

OA’s first two drives of the second half both ended in a turnover on downs. The first lasted just four plays, giving Taunton the ball at the OA 36-yard line. But OA’s defense held strong and the visiting Tigers missed a 30-yard field goal.

OA found success on its next series, moving 69 yards on nine plays, with the big play coming when Cam Perron (5/16, 66 yards) found Harrison Webster for a 37-yard gain.

The host Tigers got into the red zone on a 13-yard carry from Cabral (12 carries, 65 yards) but back-to-back negative plays preceded back-to-back incomplete passes with Javon Franklin batting down a pass in the end zone on fourth down.

On its second to last drive of the game, OA finally found the end zone, going 33 yards on five plays. Cabral had two straight carries that went for 20 yards, and Stevens broke free for seven yards to move OA inside the 10-yard line.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Two plays later, Perron kept it himself for a one-yard sneak, getting OA on the board with 1:47 to play.

Taunton’s Alyjah Marshall recovered the ensuing onside kick to help seal the victory.

Taunton football (1-2 Hockomock, 2-3 overall) hosts King Philip next week while Oliver Ames (0-3, 1-4) travels to Mansfield.

Total Team Effort Lifts Taunton to First State Title

Taunton baseball Evan Melo Josh Lajoie Jack Moynihan
Taunton captains (L-R) Evan Melo, Josh Lajoie, and Jack Moynihan celebrate with the D1 State Championship trophy. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
Josh PerryFollowJoshPerry


LOWELL, Mass. – It was fitting that the final out bounced to sophomore shortstop Ty Cali. He jumped into the lineup in the playoffs after starter Danny MacDougall suffered an injury in the first game of the postseason. Cali had two hits and an RBI in Saturday night’s Div. 1 state championship game at Lowell’s LeLacheur Park and was an example of the way the whole Taunton program came together to send the Tigers on an improbable championship run.

That run came to a climax on Saturday, as Taunton (21-7) got four hits and a pair of RBI from the bottom three in its lineup, got four strong innings from senior Josh Lajoie, who was making his first start of the playoffs, and rallied with a pair of runs in the final two innings after seeing a 3-0 lead slip away.

The Tigers found a way to win, a common thread throughout the tournament, pulling out a 5-3 victory against Shrewsbury to secure the program’s first-ever state championship.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“We knew it was going to be another tough game,” said Taunton coach Blair Bourque. “That’s a great team over there and they gave us everything we could handle. We were able to put some at-bats together. It’s a team effort.”

Senior pitcher Logan Lawrence, who picked up the win with three innings of relief, said, “It almost feels too good. First time in history winning sectionals, never mind winning states.”

A state championship seemed farfetched in April. The Tigers stumbled out of the gates, going 4-4 in their opening eight games, but they stayed the course and eventually things turned around. Taunton finished the season by going 17-3 over its final 20 games. Its only losses in that span were to Super 8 participants Mansfield (twice) and Franklin.

“At the beginning of the year we all talked about it in the weight room about how nice it would be, but we also knew how difficult it would be and all the hard work it would take, and how much better we’d have to get throughout the year,” said senior Jack Moynihan.
“We knew we’d have to keep fighting and everyone in the program has busted their butts.”

Bourque said, “This season we had a lot of adversity early and I think that helped us down the road. Obviously, the Mansfields and the Franklins are the teams we want to compete with. This is a step in the right direction.”

On Saturday, the Tigers faced Shrewsbury ace John West. The 6-foot-8 junior has already committed to Boston College and he lived up to the billing the first time through the Taunton order. He struck out five, held the Tigers hitless, and allowed only one base runner over the first three innings.

West may have drawn the headlines prior to the game, but he was matched over the first three innings by Lajoie. The St. John’s University-commit got the ball for the final and allowed only two hits through four innings. An error and a walk gave Shrewsbury its only rally in that stretch, but Lajoie responded with a strikeout and induced a pop up to get out of the jam.

Taunton grabbed the lead in the fourth. Colby Lariviere drew a one-out walk and would come all the way around to score when Lawrence’s line drive skipped past the centerfielder and turned into a triple. Nolan Melo came in to run at third base and he would score on a perfectly placed safety squeeze by Jared Roderick.

The Tigers tacked on another run in the fifth. Evan Melo led off the inning by drilling a double into the corner in right and he was quickly brought home by a Cali single. Gavin Leahy drew a walk and Lucas Martins had an infield single to load the bases with one out but a double play ended the inning.

“It’s great because as a pitcher you look at the bottom of the order and you think just breeze through them,” said Lawrence about Taunton getting production from its full lineup. “When you know for a fact that other teams aren’t going to be able to breeze through the bottom of your lineup, that helps you a lot mentally. A lot of confidence comes from that.”

Shrewsbury did not go quietly. In the bottom of the fifth, the Colonials had three straight singles, including a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Lajoie was pulled for Lawrence, who gave up an RBI-single on his first pitch.

The next batter hit a shot down the first base line but Lariviere made a diving stop and got the lead runner at home. The batter had slipped so a return throw to first turned into a double play. With a chance to get out of the inning with the lead, Lawrence gave up a single to West, which scored a pair and tied the game.

Rather than letting their heads drop, the Tigers got right back to the plate and promptly grabbed back the lead. Roderick reached on a fielder’s choice, moved to second on a wild pitch, and then took third on an error that allowed Andrew Gomes to reach. For the second time in the game, Bourque called for a squeeze and this time it was Evan Melo who dropped it down, pushing it up the first base line for a single and an RBI.

“We have confidence in ourselves and our ability to generate a couple of runs here and there,” Bourque explained. “There was no panic, we’ve been down before. Last game, we were down twice, so we had the confidence in our ability to generate some offense.

Taunton loaded the bases with one out for the second straight inning but both times failed to score a run. Lawrence made sure that it wouldn’t hurt too much by throwing a perfect sixth inning.

In the seventh, Taunton added an important insurance run. Nic Notarangelo, who’s inclusion in the starting lineup coincided with the Tigers’ improvement, started the inning by drilling a triple to the wall in right. Two batters later, Lariviere made it 5-3 with a sacrifice fly to left.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

As it turned out, the Tigers didn’t need the extra run. Lawrence got back to the mound for the seventh inning and threw another clean inning. He got a grounder to second, a strikeout, and then a grounder to short to seal the win and the championship.

“Nothing, just strictly adrenaline,” said Lawrence about what was going through his mind in the seventh. “When it was a 3-2 [count] and everyone was screaming, oh my god…” Lawrence shook his head, chuckled, and smiled.

Lajoie added, “It’s a dream come true. You dream of this at the beginning of the season and then you go through the season with your team, battling, and you see the pieces falling together…It’s unbelievable; I’m speechless.”

Walk-Off Win Over L-S Sends Taunton To State Final

Taunton baseball Nic Notarangelo
Taunton’s Nic Notarangelo (left) celebrates with Danny MacDougall and other teammates after his game-winning hit. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
LOWELL, Mass. – With the winning run standing at second base, Taunton juniors Logan Lawrence and Nolan Melo approached classmate Nic Notarangelo in the on-deck circle with a simple message.

“There’s no one better.”

Notarangelo, who has been the Tigers’ hottest hitter down the stretch, was 1-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts, so Lawrence and Melo decided to deliver a vote of confidence right before he headed to the plate.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Notarangelo delivered, smacking a hard hit double to right field in the bottom of the ninth inning to score Ty Cali from second and the Tigers walked off with a 6-5 win in over Lincoln-Sudbury in a D1 State Semifinal, sending Taunton to its first ever state championship.

“Nic came into the lineup about midway through the season and since then, he hasn’t stopped,” Lawrence said. “He knew he had a rough couple of at-bats, but we just wanted to let him know that we believe in him. He didn’t need us to do that but we wanted to show him support.”

It was Taunton’s only lead of the game as the Tigers trailed 3-0 after just a half inning and had to erase a two-run deficit in the sixth inning.

“They were telling me there was no one better,” Notarangelo said of the on-deck conversation. “The fact that they have confidence in me gave me confidence in the box. It’s a team game and we’re the most passionate team that I know. Whenever we’re down, you can’t count us out. We fight to the last out, the last pitch, you can’t count us out.

“I had seen the pitcher before and he wasn’t throwing anything funny so I was just waiting for one that was in my zone and luckily I got it.”


Sophomore Ty Cali legged out a one-out double and sophomore pinch hitter Alyjah Marshall earned a walk to bring Notarangelo to the plate. Three pitches later, Notarangelo delivered the game-winning hit to bring Cali in, sending the Tigers into a frenzy.

“They don’t quit,” said Taunton head coach Blair Bourque. “It’s something that from early on, we’ve played some really tough games and faced a lot of adversity. It’s tough to beat a team that doesn’t quit, and these guys don’t quit, they have each others backs. They work hard, they play hard, and I’m really proud to manage them. I can’t say enough about the camaraderie, hard work, and determination…you name it. It’s been there all year.

“Nic has been our guy, I was hoping he’d get a chance to swing the bat in the last inning. He had a difficult game so far so it was huge for him. It was only a matter of time until he broke out and put the barrel on the ball.”

While Notarangelo delivered the winning hit, the Tigers might not have been in position to do so without the work of Lawrence. Not only did Lawrence club a two-run home run in the first inning the stemmed the tide, he came on in relief and pitched four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and escaping a bases-loaded situation in the sixth to earn the win.

“He saved us, he’s been great throughout the whole tournament, the whole year,” Notarangelo said of Lawrence. “I couldn’t be more proud of what he’s done this year.”

Lawrence came on after five innings of work for Tiger ace Jack Moynihan, who struck out six and allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and one walk.

“Jack [Moynihan] has picked us up all season long, he’s picked me up if I had a bad game,” Lawrence said. “You have to reciprocate that energy. He does good for me all the time so I’m going to do my best for him.”

L-S, who had lost just two games all season on its way to a North sectional title, jumped on the Tigers with three runs in the top of the first inning. Connor Lachman doubled, Jesse McCullough and James Dillon singled, and an RBI groundout from Andrew Cahill put the Warriors ahead 3-0.

But the lead was short lived as the Tigers offense answered immediately. Lucas Martins drew a one-out walk, stole second, and then scored after a single from Colby Lariviere. Lawrence smashed the fourth pitch he saw over the left field fence for a two-run home run, tying the game 3-3 after one.

“Our plan was to just chip away,” Obviously you don’t want to go down but we have faith in Jack being able to keep us in the game. [Lincoln-Sudbury] hit the ball really well, that’s a good team over there. We knew we were in for a dog fight and we were hoping to keep the damage to a minimum and Jack did a great job of doing that for us. Logan came in and pitched phenomenal, that was a gutsy effort from him. His home run got us back in the game and kind of took the edge off. That let us know we could compete with them.

Moynihan settled in, striking out the side in the second inning but the top half of L-S’ lineup struck again in the third inning. Lachman doubled again, advanced on a ground out, and Dillon walked to put runners on the corner. Dillon attempted to steal second, forcing a throw but it ended up in centerfield, allowing Lachman to score. But Taunton limited the damage as Dillon tried to go from second to home. Evan Melo fired to Martins and he fired to Andrew Gomes at home for the tag.

Lachman surprised the Tigers with a bunt to lead off the fifth, advanced to second on a passed ball, stole third, and scored when the throw from home on the pickoff attempt got past the third baseman.

Taunton had momentum in the third when Martins singled and advanced to second on an error. Lawrence walked and the Tigers executed a double steal but Martins was then called out for supposedly coming off the bag at third.

In the top of the sixth, Milind Lele reached on an error, advanced to second on a ground out, Matthew Ray was hit by a pitch, the Tigers intentionally walked Lachman to load the bases but Lawrence induced a grounder to first to prevent any damage.

Lawrence reached second on a two-base error to start the bottom of the sixth and took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a passed ball that was also ball four for Jared Roderick. Roderick stole second, Nolan Melo was hit by a pitch, Roderick stole third, and then scored on a squeeze bunt from Evan Melo up the first base line to make it 5-5.

“Execution has been huge for us all year, and those are the fundamentals we practice day in and day out. It’s one of those things, when it works its great because we spend a lot of time on it. For Evan to come through was huge, it’s still difficult to execute and he came through.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“What’s happened before doesn’t faze these guys. They cheer for each other. Even when I told Gavin [Leahy], a senior, that’d he be pinch hit for [by Marshall in the ninth], he said OK. It’s fun to be able to coach a team that isn’t selfish and cheer for each other, even if they lose their spot. The bottom of the order has been different each game and it’s been someone different game.”

L-S had its lone hit against Lawrence to leadoff the seventh inning, but Gomes erased him at second on a steal attempt.

Taunton baseball (20-7) will play Central sectional champion Shrewsbury in the D1 State Final. Currently, there is no date or time listed on the MIAA website but it’s scheduled to be played at LeLacheur Park in Lowell.

“We’ve got one to go, might as well win it,” Notarangelo said.