Life comes full circle for the Walpole baseball program.
Ninety-one years after the artists formerly known as the Rebels won the inaugural state baseball tournament, the Timberwolves capped a wild journey by knocking off Reading 7-6 to win the Division 2 state title. Even nicer was the postgame gesture by Walpole coach Chris Costello to give the championship award to interim AD Bill Tompkins, who won more than 500 games as head coach at the school.
The Bay State Conference nearly had two titles in the same year as Braintree overcame a host of injuries to get to the Div. 1 state final where they faced a Chelmsford team looking to make history of its own. Having waited 59 years to be the last team standing, the Lions needed nine innings but exploded for six runs to claim the crown with an 8-2 win.
It was also a big postseason for the Cape Ann League. North Reading capped off an impressive 21-win season by riding the pitching of Ethan Quan to a 10-3 win over Arlington Catholic to cart home the Div. 3 state title. Lynnfield nearly made it 2-for-2, getting to the Div. 4 championship game before bowing to Millbury, 3-2.
English came very close to defending its Div. 5 state title, taking previously undefeated Pioneer Valley to extra innings before falling, 6-5.
On the softball front, what more can be said about Taunton? The Tigers’ Drive For Five was a success as Cate Larson and Brooke Aldrich helped power the Tigers past Wachusett 10-4 for their fifth straight Div. 1 crown. This didn’t come as easily as the others as Bridgewater-Raynham, Bishop Feehan and Wachusett made them work for it but that probably made it all the more sweeter.
No one can ever accuse Silver Lake of backing into the Div. 2 crown. After defeating a very good Westfield team 1-0 in the state semifinals, the Lakers did what many felt was the unthinkable – take down Alyx Rossi and Bedford. While Bedford certainly has an ace up its sleeve, so did Silver Lake as Delaney Moquin finished off another All-Scholastic season by shutting out the Buccaneers 4-0 to win the title.
The South Coast Conference isn’t someone you want to see on your side of the softball brackets. For the second straight year, Dighton-Rehoboth and Case wound up being the last teams standing in their respective divisions.
Dighton-Rehoboth had one serious challenge from Gloucester in the quarterfinals but outscored the other four opponents 36-1 to win another Div. 3 state title. Case rolled through four foes in the Div. 4 tournament, but were pushed to the limit in the Div. 4 final by Tyngsboro before winning, 7-6.
Turners Falls is a legitimate Div. 5 dynasty and showed some serious moxie. They rallied from a 6-0 deficit to edge Georgetown 8-7 in the semifinals, then held off Greenfield 2-1 to win another state title.
Thanks to all who followed us throughout the spring season.
Three things I’ll never understand
COACHES WHO DON’T DO RIGHT BY THEIR PLAYERS: I can honestly say that 95-98 percent of the coaches in all sports do the right thing to promote their players. The irritation comes with the two-percenters who are harder to find than Jimmy Hoffa when it comes time to push their kids for honors; they expect the media to genuflect when they come a-calling.
OVERABUNDANCE OF MVP AWARDS: There was a time when it was truly an honor to receive an MVP award. Nowadays, leagues have taken on the old Oprah adage (now you get a car, and you get a car). It’s really crazy to see how many co-MVPs and, in some cases, tri-MVPs. Come on folks, let’s go back to making it a legit honor.
WHINING ABOUT DISTANCES: It’s amazing to hear grownups complaining about traveling such long distances for tournament games. We don’t live in Texas, Florida and California. Be better.
