AP falls in final again
Indians win 3rd straight state crown
‘Coming in, I really thought this was the year for us. . . . It just didn’t go our way.’ — FRANK SORRENTI Austin Prep softball coach
WORCESTER — The scene was an all too familiar one for Austin Prep.
After falling to Turners Falls in last year’s state final, the Cougars had another crack at the Indians yesterday with everything on the line again.
But Austin Prep could not generate enough offense and watched Turners Falls celebrate its third straight Division 3 state title with a 2-1 victory at Rockwood Field.
“Coming in, I really thought this was the year for us,” said Austin Prep coach Frank Sorrenti. “The way we played in the tournament, we took it up to another level. It just didn’t go our way.”
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Austin Prep (23-3) attempted a rally after a walk and an error put runners at second and third with two outs.
With first base open, Peyton Emery decided to pitch to No. 5 hitter Caroline Sablone and it paid off. Emery got Sablone to fly out to center to escape the jam unscathed.
“I was feeling confident at the point,” Emery said. “I just wanted to get in there, shut her down and get ready to win.”
Emery, who tossed a complete-three-hitter and fanned five, finished her outing in the seventh with back-to-back strikeouts to seal Turners Falls’ ninth state title, the most by any softball program in Massachusetts, according to coach Garry Mullins.
“We have some terrific people that work hard,” said Mullins.
“This thing isn’t easy to win. I know that. We’ve lost our share here too. (Just) get a few breaks.”
The Indians got to Logan MacDonald (six innings, six hits, eight strikeouts) early as Gabby Arzuaga’s RBI double led to 1-0 lead just two batters into the game.
MacDonald held her own from there and the Cougars tied it in the third on an RBI double by Lauren Sablone.
In the top of the fourth, Turners Falls caught one of those breaks that Mullins mentioned, as a costly error by Austin Prep pushed across the deciding run for the Indians.