It’s a call to arms in stout Catholic Central
How do you describe a rough start?
The Bishop Feehan softball team opened the season minus projected starters at catcher, center field and left field, all because of concussions. Two of the three are back healthy, but another, junior shortstop Maddie coupal, who tore her anterior cruciate ligament last fall, is likely out for the season.
Yet, the Shamrocks have persevered with a 6-6 record, boasting key wins against King Philip (6-0) and Catholic Central rival Bishop Fenwick (1-0), as well as an extra-innings loss to reigning Division 1 champion Taunton (4-3).
Their performance this season is nothing to gawk at, especially given their strength of schedule. Feehan was ranked eighth in Tuesday’s MIAA Division 1 Power Rankings.
Among those 12 games so far are six Catholic Central showdowns, three of which have been decided by one run — the win over Fenwick, a 3-2 loss to Archbishop williams, and a 2-1 loss to St. Mary’s.
That stiff competition is a common thread; no CCl team is unbeaten and each team has at least one league win. St. Mary’s (13th), Archbishop williams (14th), Feehan (15th), and Fenwick (17 th).
It’s a newer phenomenon, according to St. Mary’s coach colleen Newbury, who played at Fenwick in the ’90s.
“when I was in high school . . . the league games were really one-sided, and then, sort of over time, the league reformed so that everyone was pretty good.” the 23-year coach said. "[There] hasn’t been a true top leader every year.” what’s the key?
“It’s really simple: pitching,” said Feehan coach bill Milot. “Everybody has some girls that can hit, some girls that can field, but you’re talking about very good pitchers for all those teams.”
A pitcher’s ability to execute can make or break a game. Yes, tight defense out in the field is important. But the pitcher serves as the first line (or circle, in the case of softball) of defense.
At Feehan, that starts with Mylee Ramer. In 63 innings, the junior righthander has punched out 113 and compiled a 1.78 earned run average in what Milot calls her best season yet.
Archies leans on sophomore Jill ondrick for much of its success — including the Bishops’ first win over Feehan since Ramer took to the circle three seasons ago. The four-year varsity player boasts a staggering 147 strikeouts, 0.68 ERA, and eight earned runs across 82 innings.
At Fenwick, Central Connecticut State-bound senior gigi Aupont has fanned 118 batters over 71 innings for an impressive 0.85 ERA.
After the graduation of ace Anna fringuelli, St. Mary’s has welcomed in freshman Aliza crean-oviedo. Her 7-2 record is marked by 59 strikeouts in 58 innings pitched, exceeding already-high expectations, according to Newbury.
And matchups against Arlington Catholic, Cardinal Spellman, and Bishop Stang is no picnic either.
“In this league, you don’t have a night off,” said Fenwick coach brian seabury. “They’re all very smart pitchers . . . so every at-bat matters.”
The challenge that each team — and each pitcher — reliably presents in every game demands the best out of every player and provides each team with the experience it needs to make a decent postseason run.
“Being in this league is tough enough,” said Archies coach charlie conners. “we’ve been in so many tight games that by the end of the year, we understand how to win those games … we’re definitely going to be battle-tested and know how to handle those games mentally.”
Having a strong pitcher — both for and against a team — is vital to success, as proven by these four teams. last season, each made it to the state quarterfinals or further in their respective divisions. As they each face the back half of this year’s campaign, they’re hoping their strong aces will lead them through the finish line.
“It’s hard to win anywhere without good pitching,” Seabury said. “with those [opponents] and the strength of the pitching we see, we’re going to be better for it in the end. we want to see the best teams, the best pitching, year in and year out.”
Extra bases
■ Pentucket junior Molly lebel crossed 500 career strikeouts in a 7-4 Cape Ann league victory over Newburyport. She sits at 509 after eight against Essex Tech. “She has that fire and she wants to win so badly,” said Pentucket coach Deb smith. “She’s gotten stronger and she’s so confident. She’s mentally there and she’s matured.”
leBel, a starter since her freshman year, has grown both physically and mentally, in addition to her approach with pitch counts and attacking hitters.
“She must have thrown 12 pitches, not giving in,” said Smith, recalling an at-bat from the Newburyport game. “She knows where to hit her spots — fouling off, fouling off, fouling off — she’s able to get them in the end.”
After hitting each 100 strikeout milestone, the Panthers presented leBel with posters. After 500, leBel had a different request: a cake.
■ Pembroke senior kelly Mcgee also hit 500 K’s with her 11 strikeouts in a two-hitter of a 6-0 win over Falmouth. First-year coach brittney Noons (Dighton-Rehoboth/Delaware) lauded McGee’s leadership on a team with eight seniors. Noons, an assistant coach for six seasons at Bridgewater State, calls pitches, but trusts McGee to mark her own call if there is a certain pitch that she’s dialed in. The mutual faith in one another has gone a long way in a 10-3 start for the Titans.