Photographs by Lilly and Molly O’Connell
After beating Notre Dame Academy at their home game on Friday, May 12, Walpole Girls Softball clinched a spot in the playoffs. They defeated Notre Dame 10-0 by the slaughter rule, which improved their record to 11-3.
“That was a great game; we had no errors, which is huge, and everybody, top to bottom throughout the lineup, got something done. It was really exciting, and we just clinched playoffs, so I’m really proud of them,” said Coach Rachel Sprague. “Their defense was perfect today, and we had a lot of exciting plays. Kiera threw a couple runners out who were trying to steal, so that was exciting. But like I said, top to bottom contributed, so I’m really proud of them.”
At the bottom of the fifth inning, sophomore Jaida Dingle-Brown bunted the ball and brought sophomore Jillian White into home. Her tenth run ended the game due to the slaughter rule.
“It was a good team win, and that last play really showed our potential,” said Dingle-Brown. “It was the biggest play of the game and a good team effort bringing Jill home and ending the game.”
Earlier in the game, freshman Katie Leacoma, whose offense helped boost the team’s score throughout the game, brought in three runners off of her double at the bottom of the second inning, which increased the Rebels’ lead to 4-0.
Leacoma said, “This was a big win for us because we really wanted to make it to tournament, and this was the final game to get us there.”
Junior Kate Wilmot pitched the entire game for the team, and she was even able to tag a runner coming into home at the bottom of the fifth. Her shutout prevented Notre Dame from gaining any runs throughout the game.
“We played great all game, all of my pitches were working, and offense came out big with ten runs. Everyone was hitting up and down the lineup, and it was a great team effort and win,” said Wilmot.
Following the win, the Rebels helped improve their seed for the tournament after an 8-2 win against Framingham on Saturday, May 13. Girls Softball will play at Notre Dame Academy today, May 16.
