Keefe, Newburyport softball rally
The Newburyport softball team had not won a tournament game since 2013 or hosted one since 2011.
Trailing, 6-2, after four innings against No. 18 East Bridgewater on Tuesday, the No. 15 Clippers did not want to squander an opportunity they had worked hard for.
Junior shortstop Emma Keefe blasted a single through the middle, scoring freshman Cassidy Bolcome in walkoff fashion as Newburyport prevailed, 7-6, in the first round of the Division 3 tournament.
With one out in the seventh, Bolcome swatted a single to right and Emily Meleedy worked a walk, bringing a runner into scoring position for Keefe.
“It was a little nerve-racking,” said Keefe. “I knew I just had to slash the ball down, get it up the middle, and score that one run to seal the deal.”
In the top of the seventh, Keefe turned a double play. The shortstop nabbed a liner and fired to first to end the frame.
“She’s been great all year,” said seventh-year Newburyport coach Bob Gillespie. “She’s a really, really good player. She never gets frazzled. She’s always in the moment.”
The Clippers (13-8) climbed back into the game with a threerun fifth inning and added a run in the sixth to tie the contest.
Newburyport visits second seed Dighton-Rehoboth (17-4) in the second round on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Division 1 State
Arlington 5, Reading 0 — Soline Fisher fanned 13 in the one-hit shutout for the No. 16 Spy Ponders (14-7) in a first-round win. Nora Vartanian had two hits and an RBI, and Zoe DiAngelis homered. Arlington will visit Central Catholic Wednesday at 4. King Philip 3, Needham 1 — Freshman standout McCoy Walsh punched out 15 as the second-seeded Warriors (21-2) secured a first-round victory over No. 31 Needham. KP will host Chelmsford Wednesday.
Division 2 State Silver Lake 15, Oliver Ames 2 — Delaney Moquin’s two-run homer
capped a runaway first-round win for the eighth-seeded Lakers (19-2) over No. 25 Oliver Ames. Silver Lake will host No. 9 Grafton Thursday at 3:30.
Wakefield 12, Wilmington 11 — Kathryn Sliski’s walk drove in the winning run for the No. 16 Warriors (12-9) against No. 17 Wilmington in the first round. Paige Butland hit three homers and Meredith Morris hit a basesclearing double in the sixth to tie it at 6. Wakefield will visit topseeded Westfield on Wednesday.
Division 3 State
St. Mary’s 12, Sturgis East 0 — The top seed Spartans (20-1) beat No. 33 Sturgis East in the first round behind Anna Fringuelli’s one-hit, 10-strikeout effort. Brooke Moloney, Michaela Walker, and Gabriella Marichal each had two hits. St. Mary’s will host No. 17 Dedham Wednesday.
Division 4 State
Amesbury 1, Millbury 0 — Isabelle Levasseur lifted the seventh-seeded Red Hawks (17-4) over No. 10 Millbury, striking out 14 in the second-round win. Tyngsborough 7, Abington 0 — Kiley Hogan fanned 11, Izzie Shaffer had a home run and two RBIs, and Elizabeth Sillipp had a two-run homer, lifting the fourth seed Tigers (15-4) over No. 13 Abington in the second round.
Boys’ lacrosse
Division 1 State
St. John’s Prep 14, Barnstable 3 — The top-seeded Eagles (18-1) advanced through the first round behind three goals from Jimmy Ayers and two goals and an assist from Jake Vana.
Girls’ lacrosse
Division 1 State
Acton-Boxborough 10, Needham 9 — Caroline McBride was a force up front, notching five goals and three assists, and Keira Baglio (three goals) and Alexis Thermidor (two goals) did the rest for the 12th-seeded Revolution (11-6) in a first-round win.
Division 2 State
Duxbury 16, Danvers 8 — Sydney Ecker notched five goals, Ellie Wall added four, and Maggie Slimbaugh had three to lead the No. 3 Dragons (16-5) over No. 30 Danvers in the Round of 32.
Division 4 State Mt. Greylock 17, Cape Cod Academy 16 — With seconds remaining, Lexi Politis buried the winner for the No. 8 Mounties (19-2) against No. 9 Cape Cod Academy (11-9) to earn a spot in the third round. St. John Paul II 9, Lunenburg 6 — Freshmen came through as Mia Curley had two goals and two assists, Sophie Philbrick netted two goals, and Regan Dillon potted one for the 14th-seeded Lions (14-6) in the Round of 32.
Boys’ volleyball Division 1 State
Brookline 3, Acton-Boxborough 2 — Alec Smagula (56 assists, 10 digs), Cam Jilek (19 kills, 18 digs), Kristaps Vaivars (13 kills, six digs), and Amir Tomer (13 digs) willed the No. 11 Warriors (14-6) to a second-round five-set win at No. 6 A-B.
Cambridge 3, Lexington 2 — The eighth-seeded Falcons (15-6) defended home court, 2225, 25-19, 25-18, 26-28, 17-15, against ninth-seeded Lexington. Lexington (14-6) faced elimination twice in the fourth set, down 24-22 and 26-24, but stayed alive. In the fifth set, Cambridge was on the ropes, trailing, 13-11, before Henry Bonney’s block won it.
Cambridge will face top seed Needham or No. 16 Methuen. Newton North 3, Winchester 2 — Playing through a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder, Adam Christianson had 21 kills and three aces to lead the seventh-seeded Tigers to a 2513, 22-25, 25-15, 25-20 home victory over No. 10 Winchester (16-6) in the second round.
St. John’s Prep 3, Haverhill 1 — Callum Brown hit .258 and racked up 19 digs, Michael Wagner hit .286, and Tighe Lusk notched six blocks for the fifthseeded Eagles (13-6) in a secondround triumph.
Division 2 State
O’Bryant 3, Minnechaug 0 — Son Nguyen (40 assists), Nathan Tan (career-high 17 kills), and Jonathan Narsjo (12 assists) led the No. 6 Tigers (18-4) to a second-round victory.
Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com. Ethan Fuller reported from Cambridge and AJ Traub from Newton.