ESPN

PLAINVILLE, Mass. -- If April 24 was a day of infamy for King Philip softball, May 15 was a day of opportunity, encircled on the calendar by a bright red marker.

No. 2 KP’s date with redemption arrived much the way its team members envisioned. A three-hit shutout by ace Meghan Rico and a two-run home run by battery mate Olivia Godin paced the Warriors to a 3-0 win, splitting the season series with No. 7 Coyle-Cassidy.

“They’ve been chomping at the bit,” KP head coach Jim Leonard said. “We’ve had this date circled for a while now.”

KP (13-2) fell to C-C (11-3) in the teams’ previous meeting in Taunton, with Coyle making a late comeback. Since that date, KP embarked on a scorched earth campaign, with a streak of 67 scoreless innings tossed between pitchers Rico and Meg Carnase.

The new found attitude was on display Tuesday. Even as C-C eyed a comeback in the sixth inning, loading the bases, there was something different this time around.

“I was over the plate a little too much,” Rico said of her last outing against Coyle. “This time, I felt my pitches were breaking.”

Rico quelled C-C’s one-out riot in the sixth with a pair of strikeouts, painting the outside corner, both swinging.

She received all the offense she’d require in the fourth when Godin went opposite field for a two-run home run over the right-center field fence.

KP added an insurance run in the sixth with a sacrifice fly from Cayleigh McCarthy, scoring Carnase (2-for-3, double, two runs scored).

“I feel like we’ve been on top of our game since the Frankin game, and there’s no going back,” Rico said. “We’re ready to go for the rest of the games, we’re ready for the tournament.”

CONTRIBUTIONS THROUGHOUT
It might not have shown up on the scoreboard, but KP’s lower third of the lineup showed why the Warriors possess one of the state’s top lineups.

KP’s No. 7 through No. 9 hitters were a combined 5-for-7, between Annie Shiebler, Shannon Jones, Amy Nolan and pinch hitter Alyssa Siegmann.

The bottom of the order was responsible for a pair of bases-loaded threats in the third and fifth, however C-C starter Kelsey Boarman was able to wiggle out of both situations with double plays.

TAUNTON, Mass. –- Coyle-Cassidy softball’s hacks in the box against King Philip ace Meghan Rico on Tuesday were at first feeble.

The second time through the order, C-C showed promise. Third time? A little bit better. Fourth time? A little closer still.

The fifth time around, the Warriors wouldn’t need another go-round. That’s when the vaunted C-C offense ended the game in a 3-2 walk-off, extra-innings win.

It all started up top as C-C leadoff hitter Patty Borges reached in each of her five plate appearances, scoring each of the Warriors’ three runs. Meanwhile, cleanup hitter Julie Leclair provided the fireworks, driving in the game-tying run in the seventh and the game-winner in the ninth.

“All three parts of our game – our hitting, our pitching and our defense – came together well,” C-C head coach Russell Hunt said.

KP (5-2) looked poised to run away with it early, scoring runs in both the first and second, thanks to lead-off doubles. Rico started the game with a two-bagger on the first pitch of the game, before scoring on Meg Carnase’s double. In the second, Anna O’Neill doubled to the left-center field fence and scored on an Amy Nolan single.

Rico breezed through 4 2/3 innings without allowing a hit, but that’s when C-C began to catch on.

Borges’ two-out single in the fifth was the first indication of trouble. Genna Whalen promptly plated Borges with a double to right. Borges, a Stony Brook signee, led off the seventh by drawing a walk. After a sacrifice bunt from Whalen, Leclair stepped to the plate.

“The strikeouts [earlier in the game], I didn’t let them bother me," Leclair said. “Everybody had to do their part, so that’s why I just went up there, made contact and hit it.”

Leclair rapped Rico’s 0-2 offering into the outfield, scoring Borges with the tying run.

C-C (7-1) nearly pulled out the victory in the seventh on Katherine Clark’s suicide squeeze bunt. KP first baseman Cayleigh McCarthy caught Tricia Quinn sliding into home, with catcher Olivia Godin blocking the plate, for the second out of the inning.

Both teams were retired in order in the eighth before C-C ended it.

Borges scored her third run of the game after drawing another lead-off walk in the ninth.

And, once again, Leclair delivered.

“You can’t give those kinds of ball teams those kinds of opportunities,” said KP head coach Jim Leonard, whose team committed an uncharacteristic three errors in the field. “I’m not sure if because the layoff because of the rain we weren’t that sharp, but like I said, against good teams, you have to score your runs and then stay tight defensively.”

WALL TO THE LEFT
For all that Borges and Leclair produced with their bat on Tuesday, C-C’s key to victory was undoubtedly its defense.

The Warriors have perhaps the strongest left side of the infield in the state, and Borges had perhaps the game of her career, with 12 assists in the field.

“I think we’re a phenomenal all-around team when we put our minds to it,” Borges said of C-C’s commitment to fielding.

She added, “We work at everything equally as much.”

More than that, the Warriors’ infield was superb on a whole. Quinn made an array of picks and stretches on the first base bag. Second baseman Brittany Perdiago turned in the play of the game in the sixth with a back-handed snare of grounder with a dive and then beat Carnase to the bag with a throw from her knees.

With a strong unit behind her, C-C starter Kelsey Boarman became stronger as the game wore on, retiring nine straight to finish the complete-game win.

In this week's edition of "Roundtable", ESPN Boston High Schools Editors Scott Barboza and Brendan Hall are joined by correspondent Bruce Lerch and Brockton Enterprise staff writer John Botelho as we discuss the best hitting lineups, the best faceoff specialist in lacrosse, and whether Milford is now the team to beat in softball.

1. AFTER BEATING KING PHILIP, IS MILFORD THE FAVORITE IN DIVISION 1 FOR SOFTBALL?

ESPN Boston High Schools Editor Scott Barboza: In a word, yes. Shannon Smith is simply pitching out of her mind right now, but it's not as though we haven't seen this before from the University of Kentucky commit. Two years ago, Smith was named Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year after recording a 0.36 ERA. This year, she's been dominant, including a 20-strikeout performance against Shrewsbury and 17 K's against KP. Not to mention, the Scarlet Hawks haven't even been playing with their opening day lineup, after All-State catcher Taylor Archer suffered a leg injury in the first week of the season. Freshman Taylor LeBrun has done a terrific job behind the plate in the interim, but MIlford will only be that much more potent with their top battery in place. I'm certainly not ruling out KP, as anything short of a rematch between the two teams in the state final would be unexpected.

Bruce Lerch, correspondent: While there are several teams with good enough pitching to shut down the Scarlet Hawks bats, how many are strong enough offensively to hit against Milford ace Shannon Smith? The only team that really comes to mind is...King Philip. The Kentucky-bound Smith two-hit the Warriors and struck out 17 Monday afternoon, so you have to think they are the lead horse in the race right now. KP has hit Smith before, however, as a 10-1 result in the state championship game two years ago proves. Of course, Smith was but a freshman then, and having faced King Philip several times since then her knowledge of that dangerous lineup has grown considerably.

Oh yeah...KP also has Meghan Rico. I've heard she's a pretty good pitcher too...something about a reigning player of the year? If both aces are on their game, then the state championship softball game may have to be scheduled for more than one day

John Botelho, Brockton Enterprise: Even with Milford knocking off K-P, it's still hard to call anyone but the Warriors - the two-time defending state champ - the favorite to win it all. This means Milford might have closed the gap, but until someone proves Meghan Rico is possible to beat in the playoffs, the Warriors remain the class of softball in this state. Keep in mind how difficult it is to beat a good team twice, and chances are Milford will have to do just that if they're to bring home the state crown.

2. SEVEN OF THE EIGHT TEAMS PARTICIPATING IN THE COACHES CHALLENGE CUP THIS WEEK ARE RANKED IN OUR TOP 25. WHICH OF THOSE TEAMS HAS THE BEST CHANCE OF WINNING A STATE TITLE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE DIVISION?

Scott Barboza: We might have seen a Division 2 Eastern Mass final matchup preview on Thursday when Concord-Carlisle and Hingham squared off in a Coaches Challenge Cup semifinal. The Patriots beat the Harbormen, 9-4, with Jackson Finigan, Tim Badgley and Kevin Delehey scoring two goals each. If both teams take care of business hereon out, we should expect to see both of them at Harvard Stadium. Of course, none of this makes mention of Dover-Sherborn. The Raiders fell just short of an upset over Lincoln-Sudbury before falling, 12-11, but they've proven their among the elite in Division 3.

Bruce Lerch: That team would Dover-Sherborn. Lincoln-Sudbury will enter the Division 1 tournament as one of the teams best suited to make a run at Duxbury, but betting against the Dragons has been mostly a losing proposition for the past decade. The six Div. 2 teams that participated in the tournament are perennially among the last teams standing in June, so while a state champion could come from this group, picking who it will be requires a crystal ball.

Dover-Sherborn has the talent to compete with the best teams in the state, something the Raiders proved three years running now at the Coaches Challenge Cup, and is likely going to snag one of the top four seeds in the Div. 3 tourney and will be included in the group of favorites that should also include Weston and Norwell.

3. IN BASEBALL, WHAT'S THE BEST HITTING YOU'VE SEEN SO FAR?

ESPN Boston High Schools Editor Brendan Hall: I have seen both BC High and Lowell multiple times, and I don't think you can go wrong either way.

BC High can mash 1 through 9, but at the top is where they're especially dangerous. UConn signee Bob Melley is the Eagles' most powerful bat out of the No. 3 spot, but he's surrounded by plenty of college-ready talent in seniors Chuckie Connors, Justin Silvestro, Brian Hocking, and juniors Ryan Tufts and Dan Dougherty. I will put the Eagles' top six hitters against any team's top six in the state...

...Unless that top six is Lowell. The Red Raiders are only going to get stronger as the season goes on, but they're showing some real nice stuff through the first three weeks of the season. Rory O'Connor, Derek Reed and Andrew Marasa form what is regarded as the state's best outfield, but they can manufacture runs from the plate, too. Matt Tulley is headed to Virginia Tech for his low-90's fastball, but he's got a heavy swing from the cleanup spot too. My favorite hitter to watch in this lineup is senior Chad Gens, who can square up and plant it deep as good as anyone. After Lexington's Chris Shaw, he might be one of the better power hitters in Eastern Mass. I expect him to be near the top in extra base hits this year.

Also of note, take a look at Dighton-Rehoboth, which comes in this week at No. 18 this week. With a top of the order led by Bryan Rocha, Adam Benvie, Evan Mondor and Mike St. John, the Falcons are averaging 11 runs per game, including shellackings over Somerset (22-0) and Case (17-6). When it comes to manufacturing runs, you can't forget Walpole, between leadoff shortstop Johnny Adams, catcher Dan King, and brothers Cam and Craig Hanley.

John Botelho: Despite getting shutout by Marshfield for their first loss of the season on Thursday, the East Bridgewater Vikings offense is certainly among the best in southeastern Mass, and could be the class of the D3 South Sectional later this season. Even with the setback against the Rams, E-B is still averaging just over 10 runs per game.

In the Hockomock League both Oliver Ames has emerged as a team with an electric pitching staff, but the offense is plenty capable of flexing muscle too. With sweet swinging David MacKinnon - whose emerging as one of the best hitters in the Hock - hitting third and powerful Matt Harding hitting fourth, the Tigers have one of the best 3-4 combos going. Matt Mancini, Ryan O'Shea, Mike McMillan and Jim Sullivan help bolster a lineup that features plenty of hitting ability.

4. AN UNDERRATED ASPECT OF LACROSSE IS THE "FOGO" (FACE OFF, GET OFF) POSITION. WHO IS THE BEST FACEOFF SPECIALIST IN THE MIAA?

Scott Barboza: I think there's no doubt that Clay Richard of Medfield is the best true FOGO in the state, but as we saw during Wednesday's matchup against No. 1 Duxbury, Dragons midfielder Henry Narlee might be the best faceoff man in the state. Sqauring off against Richard and the Warriors, Narlee won an amazing 21 of 28 draws.

Bruce Lerch: The two best were on display Wednesday night in Duxbury as Medfield's Clay Richard went to work against the Dragons Henry Narlee. Richard more than held his own against Narlee in their individual battle, but in addition to the Duxbury junior's elite skill, he also has the advantage of having James Burke and Reilly Naton flying off the wings to grab every loose ball in sight. Not only is Narlee at winning the draws to himself, but is deadly accurate when shooting the ball into space for his two LSM's to chase it down.

5. LOOK AT THE NEXT TWO WEEKS OF SPRING. CALL AN UPSET. AND FEEL FREE TO GO BIG.

Scott Barboza: Don't really know if this would count as such, but I'm calling Duxbury's take down of Garden City (N.Y.) this weekend. Looks like the Dragons' regained their top form in the last week. In softball, I have a feeling about Hudson taking down Shrewsbury this weekend.

Brendan Hall: Boston Latin has a two-game swing at the beginning of next month that could have big implications in the Dual County League: May 4 at Lincoln-Sudbury, and May 7 at Acton-Boxborough. The Wolfpack seem to be everyone's favorite little underdog in the league (no pun intended), but I wouldn't be surprised to see them take one of two here. L-S has some talent, but has been searching for that staff ace; meanwhile A-B has had a knack for the dramatic so far, twice winning one-run games, the latest a 1-0 decision over Waltham on Wednesday. Can Latin pull 1 of 2 here? It might depend on who's pitching.

Elsewhere, I've got May 10's matchup between No. 14 Burncoat and No. 3 St. John's of Shrewsbury circled on the calendar. The Patriots just lost their first game to Danvers the other day, while St. John's sits at 7-0 with a nice win over St. John's Prep. This is building into one of the best regular-season matchups in Central Mass., but I'm going to go with Burncoat in the upset.

John Botelho: On April 26, when No. 16 Barnstable comes to town, Bridgewater-Raynham will take a big step toward winning the Old Colony League by knocking them off in a pitcher's duel. The Trojans have to deal with league foe Dartmouth just two days before, and if the rotation stays the path it's on lefty Pat Chalmers will be throwing that game. That means fellow southpaw Shane Holmes, who has been piling up strikeouts and shutting offenses down, will take the mound against the Red Raiders. The lefty is one of the toughest in the area and B-R could come away with this one without needing much in the way of run support.

MILFORD, Mass. -- Milford softball accomplished more than just handing King Philip its first loss since the 2010 season with a 2-0 Patriot’s Day matinee win over the Warriors.

The Scarlet Hawks proved KP’s road to a potential third state Division 1 title might just run through them.

Milford pitcher and University of Kentucky commit Shannon Smith dazzled again, striking out 17, including a streak of nine straight in the fourth through sixth innings. More than that, the Scarlet Hawks scratched out five hits against Meghan Rico – a prodigious amount against the reigning ESPN Boston Miss Softball.

“I preached to them in practice that you have to put the ball in play against Rico, you have to make them make plays,” Milford head coach Brian Macchi said.

The Scarlet Hawks (5-0) struck for both of their runs in the second inning, catalyzed by Caroline Fairbanks’ lead-off single.

After a sacrifice bunt by Sam Bonvino, freshman catcher Taylor LeBrun put Milford on the board with an RBI single to right. After LeBrun advanced to second on a wild pitch, she came around to score on Elizabeth Stallone’s double.

The Warriors (4-1) managed just two hits off of Smith, but both came as lead-off hits in the fourth and seventh. Rico’s hit off her counterpart in the fourth would be the last ball KP put into play until the seventh, when Hailey Mullen singled to center to start the final frame.

However, a caught-stealing and two final strikeouts from Smith finished out her fourth shutout of the season.

“She’s just gotten stronger and stronger as the season’s gone on,” Macchi said.

The Warriors’ last loss in 2010 also came against Milford and the experience of bouncing back from one hasn’t occurred to many of KP’s players.

So the true test for Warriors then will be in what happens next.

“What we need to learn is how to respond in a situation like this,” KP head coach Jim Leonard said.

TAYLOR SQUARED


The Scarlet Hawks have been without their usual starting catcher, ESPN Boston All-Stater Taylor Archer during the last couple weeks, but LeBrun hasn’t lost a stride.

LeBrun showed her ability both behind the plate and at bat in Monday’s win.

First, she did it with the bat, with a slashing, run-scoring single.

“It was an outside pitch, right where I wanted it,” LeBrun said. “We’d been working on slashing in practice all week, so I felt I was very well prepared to do it, so I was confident in the box.”

Then, in the seventh inning, LeBrun popped up and fired a strike to cut down KP’s lead-off runner attempting to steal second.

“We told our catcher, Taylor LeBrun, to keep on her toes,” Macchi said. “You never know what they might try to do to try to get us a little on our heels. But she made a very nice play on the throw down and Lindsey Read made a terrific play on the pick and tag.”

Macchi continued, “It’s been seamless behind the plate [with LeBrun] and offensively she’s coming along and seeing the type of pitching we’re going to see.”

ON TOP OF HER GAME
Smith had all her pitches working, in addition to a particularly punchy fastball which cracked the mitt throughout the afternoon.

Even for one of the state’s premier pitchers, it was an exceptional performance. Smith kept the Warriors guessing throughout the game, changing their eye level with a steady stream of rise balls. More than that, Smith was able to work the corners and paint it with strikes.

“Sometimes batters get excited in the box and their hands move a little bit faster than they want them, too, and that makes it hard for hitters to get that outside pitch, so I was trying to work that outside corner.”

In recent years, quality pitching has been synonymous with King Philip softball.

But the one constant in the last four years, whether it’s been Maggie Quealy or Meghan Rico in the circle, has been behind the plate in Warriors senior catcher Olivia Godin.

“Olivia’s been a rock behind home plate for four years,” King Philip head coach Jim Leonard said of his backstop. “She’s been a stalwart of the team, she cares so much about what’s going on in front of her and she’s on top of every aspect of our defense. She’s like having another coach on the field.”

Perhaps the best game-caller in the state, the UMass-Amherst signee isn’t just a dependable defensive catcher, she can hit. Last season, the ESPN Boston All-Stater hit .299 with three home runs and 18 RBI. After smashing a three-run home run against Hockomock League rival Mansfield this week, Godin’s off to another hot start.

We caught up with the Plainville native earlier this week:

Q: You started as a freshman. How long did it take for you to feel comfortable as a part of the team?

A: “It was a little unsettling the first couple of time out there, Cara [Daly] was calling where to throw the ball, she’d be calling to the infield where to make the plays. I’d say it took about halfway through the season to feel comfortable. The breaking point I’d say was the Coyle-Cassidy night game we were featured on. That’s when I started calling plays and had a pick-off. That was a big turning point for me. I had two home runs in a that game, too, so at that point they were like ‘She can play with us.’”

Q: You’ve had some pretty exceptional pitchers to work with in your time here and they’ve all been successful. What has been different working with each of them?

A: “I think there’s a different presence. Maggie [Quealy] had, it wasn’t a profound confidence on the mound, but she definitively had it. Whereas Meg [Rico] presents herself as confident and the batters really fear her. I don’t think hitters feared Maggie until they saw that first pitch and they were like, ‘Whoa.’ I feel like girls coming up the plate are scared of Meghan. Plus, just the pitches they throw. Meg throws everything and she throws it well. Maggie was more a pure drop-ball pitcher, so that changes your framing and everything.”

Q: One thing I’ve always been interested in is how catchers in general are able to balance their responsibilities between defense and offense. How are you able stay sharp with the bat as well as making sure you’re putting in the work with the pitchers?

A: “During practice, I get to have a step-aside time when the infielders are doing their work, I get to work on my blocking and all of that. I always make sure I take that 20 minutes to work on my blocking, and my framing, and throw long to make sure I keep my arm strong. Hitting is consistent, I try to hit at least three times a week.

Q: Do you work on your catching with anybody in the offseason?

A: “In freshman year, I made David Lotti’s travel team [Rhode Island Thunder] and Bob Rossi is the catching coach, so he’s been my catching coach for the last four years, and he’s taught me everything.”

Q: What made UMass-Amherst your college selection?

A: “It’s the legacy there. Coach [Elaine] Sortino is a legend. She’s been in the game for 33 years, in the Hall of Fame. She has such a strong presence on the field, but she’s the nicest person off of it. She welcomes you with open arms. She loves her team unconditionally and I felt the minute I visited. She made me feel like this is the school I wanted to be at.”

Q: What is the key to the program’s success at King Philip? It seems like there’s a never-ending supply of talent coming through.

A: “The PAL [in Plainville] has always been run by good presidents. There’s just always been a talent pool. It starts from the time we’re in T-ball until we’re in high school. They offer a lot, too, there’s clinics in the winter and throughout the spring. I just played in Plainville until I was in seventh grade and that’s taken me pretty far.”

Q: What keeps this team motivated year after year?

A: “I think it’s the drive to prove that King Philip softball is legitimate and to carry on this legacy and prove that we’re an athletic school. I couldn’t have been more proud signing with all the other athletes at the school this year. It’s the fact that we want to show that King Philip breeds good athletes.

We're back with another installment of "Roundtable", our weekly takes on the hot topics of the spring season. This week, we discuss who is the best boys' lacrosse goalie in the state; which lefthanded pitchers will make the most noise; the state's best slap hitter; and who had the best individual performance of the season's first two weeks.

Joining us this week are correspondent Bruce Lerch, New England Prep Stars founder and editor Ryan Kilian, MassLive.com producer Ben Larsen, and Brockton Enterprise staff writer John Botelho. Without further ado:

1. BETTER GOALIE –- WELLESLEY’S CONNOR DARCEY OR FOXBOROUGH’S GREG STAMATOV?

ESPN Boston High Schools Editor Scott Barboza: That's a tough one. In many regards, they're similar players in that they're both not afraid to step up into the play when its warranted. They're not going to just clear and retreat when the opportunity presents itself. Stamatov had one clearing pass to the midfield during the third quarter against Barnstable that was a thing of beauty. And, of course, we all know that Darcey is capable of scoring when he carries the ball past midfield. This all makes no mention of their ability to stop the ball either. Either way you dice it, they're among the very best in a deep field of MIAA goaltenders along with Duxbury's Henry Buonagurio, Concord-Carlisle's Doug Gouchoe and Billerica's D.J. Smith.

Ryan Kilian, New England Prep Stars: Connor Darcey is the best goalie I have seen in New England Public High School lacrosse over the past two years. Darcey is the real deal. He possesses confidence, quickness, and exceptional hand-eye coordination.

The goalie position in Massachusetts in the Class of 2012 is as strong as it has been in many years. Doug Gouchoe of Concord-Carlisle (Air Force), Greg Stamatov of Foxborogh (Villanova), Jared Fong of Weston (Gettysburg), and Miles McCarthy of Catholic Memorial (Williams) are all exceptional athletes with bright futures at the next level and all have a unique set of skills that they bring to the table.

Darcey is also a born leader and that is an essential trait that all great goalies, like the above mentioned, share.

Bruce Lerch, correspondent: Both players have excelled for their respective teams and made a big splash over the summer participating in the Warrior 40 at Harvard Stadium. Both have also drawn the attention of Division colleges, as Darcey is committed to play for Penn State while Stamatov will take his talents to Villanova. Darcey was a key factor in Wellesey's 16-0 regular season a year ago, while Stamatov helped propel Foxborough to its best season ever by reaching the Division 2 semifinals. Darcey was rated eighth in ESPN High School's national goalie rankings back in February, but even if you have the second pick in this draft, you won't come away disappointed as Stamatov was not too far behind at No. 14.

2. WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE SO FAR?

ESPN Boston High Schools Editor Brendan Hall: I think any time you throw a perfect game at any level, you should be highly commended as such. So here’s my kudos to Lynn English’s Ben Bowden, who had a clean sheet for the Bulldogs in their 5-0 win over Marblehead. Bowden struck out 14 in the full seven innings, and got some assistance from the infield behind him late to seal the deal. He is an imposing player to watch at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, equipped with a high-80’s fastball, so it’s hardly the last time we’ll hear from him.

That said, I’m always impressed when a pitcher goes into the triple-digits in pitch count this early in the season – and even moreso when it’s as efficient as Milford’s Jarrod Casey was on April 3. In the Scarlet Hawks’ season-opening 3-1 win over Westborough, the reigning Mid-Wach A MVP and returning ESPNBoston All-Stater threw 125 pitches and struck out 15 batters; he also belted an inside-the-park, two-run homer to give them all the insurance they needed.

John Botelho, Brockton Enterprise: The Bridgewater-Raynham softball team has shown plenty of early fireworks this season. Senior Audrey Dolloff twirled a four-hitter and struck on eight on opening, all while going 4-for-4 with a pair of homers and four RBI for the Trojans. Freshman Emily Kurkul has homered in all three games so far. Most recently, Dolloff tossed a no-hitter against Durfee, and her performance might not have even been the best one on the field that day for B-R. Sophomore Madison Shaw went 4-for-4 with two homers, a double and seven RBI as the Trojans cruised.

Ryan Kilian: The best individual performance that I have seen on the lacrosse field so far was Westford Academy attack Jay Drapeau scoring six goals and dishing out one assist in a 12-11 opening day win over Billerica. The sophomore scored the game winner in the fourth quarter and was exceptional dodging from X all afternoon. Drapeau also did this against a very formidable defense led by Tommy McLaughlin (UMass) and one of the state’s best goalies in DJ Smith (UMass).

Ben Larsen, MassLive.com: It would be hard to top this one. Noah Parker, a terrific talent hidden at St. Mary’s of Westfield was perfect in a six-inning game against Pioneer Valley Christian. He threw only 57 pitches, striking out 14. At the plate, he narrowly missed hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI.

Bruce Lerch: On the lacrosse fields, several players have produced nine-goal games in the early going. Kobie Sullivan had seven, nine and eight goals in Fairhaven's first three games. On the girls side, Wayland's Amy Cunningham, Amy also struck for nine against Bedford. But my top effort goes to Masconomet's Jake Gillespie, who potted nine in the Chieftans' second game of the year against a BC High defense that includes a pair of Division 1 recruits.

3. A LEFTHANDED STARTER CAN BE INVALUABLE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. WHICH LEFTIES WILL YOU BE WATCHING THE MOST?

Brendan Hall: The Class of 2012 is littered with Division 1-bound lefties, between Oliver Ames' Ryan O'Shea (Central Michigan), East Longmeadow's Steve Moyers (Rhode Island), Pentucket's Alex Ministeri (Coastal Carolina), Auburn's Connor Fuller (Fordham), Xaverian's Tim Duggan (Fairfield) and Acton-Boxborough's Ryan McDonald (Bryant). One we might be adding to that list in a year's time is Wellesley senior Tim Superko.

Superko is already off to a great start in 2012, with wins in his first two starts in dominant fashion -- 23 strikeouts in 12 innings, an ERA of 0.75, a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly four, and a strike percentage of 67. I'm obviously working with a stat system pretty sophisticated for the high school level, but I can assure you Superko could care less. He's a competitor, unafraid to challenge hitters in the middle of the order, but also very coachable. Raiders coach Rob Kane raves about Superko's curveball, and he sets it up well with his heat. From the plate, he's not that bad either; so far he's hitting .500/.562/.786 with five RBI, two triples, seven runs and three stolen bases.

Superko is heading to Philips Andover for a post-graduate year next season. I expect him to have a Division 1 scholarship offer in his lap by this summer's end.

I'd also keep an eye on the aforementioned Ben Bowden from Lynn English. He's got an ideal power pitcher's frame, and if the reports about him topping out at 89 miles per hour in his perfect game are true, then he has a chance to rise quickly on the radar. But to be a reliable starter at this level, you need a quality changeup, and Bowden's is pretty nice.

Boston Latin sophomore Pat Naughton is certainly another one to look out for over the next two years. He fanned 17 Wayland batters in an outing last year as a freshman, and is already off to a good start this year with 14 K's in the Wolfpack's season-opening win over Latin Academy. Also keep an eye on Reading junior Scott Tully, who committed to Notre Dame last February, as well as Malden Catholic junior Joe Velozo.

John Botelho: One of the best lefties in the state hasn't even thrown a pitch yet. Oliver Ames' Ryan O'Shea, a 6-foot-3 southpaw already signed on to play at Central Michigan next year, will take to the mound for the first time next week. Hall of Fame coach Leo Duggan aired on the side of caution as O'Shea was battling shoulder soreness. He has a chance to come back and be the best pitcher on an O-A team that has still gone 3-0 without him in the lineup.

Brockton's Joe Sever has a live arm and features impressive off-speed stuff. The ace of the Boxers' staff this year, he has a chance to catch a lot of eyes with the schedules Bill Maloney's squad plays.

Bridgewater-Raynham features a pair of hard-throwing lefties who should cause problems for hitters throughout the regular season. Senior captains Pat Chalmers and Shane Holmes have more varsity experience than many of the guys they'll square off against this year - Chalmers was pitching on varsity at B-R as a sophomore and Holmes spent his freshman and sophomore years on the varsity squad at East Bridgewater before transferring to B-R as a junior. Chalmers took a no decision in his first start, but struck out nine in 5 2/3 innings. Holmes picked up the first win for the Trojans, a complete-game two-hit 12-strikeout performance against Milton.

Ben Larsen: Undoubtedly, Steve Moyers is the guy to follow. He has been unbelievable in his first three years as the ace of the East Longmeadow rotation and he’s hoping to reach the 30-win plateau for his career, which is no small feat in the short Massachusetts season. That said, Michael Walkowicz of Amherst has been the Cy Young in the early going. In two starts, he has a 17-strikeout, one-hitter and 12 Ks in a loss to Northampton.

Bruce Lerch: I find myself greatly intrigued by the seemingly rubber of Franklin southpaw Tyler Buck. As a junior, Buck tossed multiple gems during the Panthers run to the Div. 1 state championship game, including a 166-pitch effort to upset BC High in last year's D1 South semifinals. After starring for Franklin's Legion team over the summer, I'm interested to see how far the Panthers ace can take them once again.

4. WHAT WILL BE THE MOST COMPETITIVE LEAGUE IN GIRLS' LACROSSE THIS YEAR?

Brendan Hall: I'm going with the Dual County League. Four members of the 10-team league currently sit in our MIAA Top 25 poll, including No. 1 Lincoln-Sudbury. And we're not even including Acton-Boxborough, which began the season as our preseason No. 10 before dropping to 0-5. Talk about a misnomer -- the Colonials' five losses are to No. 1 L-S, No. 5 Needham, No. 6 Notre Dame (Hingham), No. 17 King Philip, and No. 23 Walpole. Also throw in unranked Wayland, which has one of the state's best goalies in Quinnipiac-bound senior Rachel Massicotte.

Let's now throw in the DCL's other three currently-ranked teams -- Concord-Carlisle, Weston and Westford -- and we're talking six teams that can be troublesome. I expect L-S to rise above it all, but the rest of the way down may or may not be a crap shoot.

Bruce Lerch: While most league's across the state in girls lacrosse are fairly top-heavy, I would say that top to bottom, the Middlesex League's large division may have the largest number of competitive teams as all five made the playoffs in 2011. Winchester is annually among the state's top programs and is among the favorites to challenge for the Div. 2 crown once again. Reading went 15-5 before running into state finalist Lincoln-Sudbury. Lexington is a perennial tourney team who, aside from last season, routinely rolls up 15-plus wins a year. Belmont also won 15 games in 2011, and Woburn qualified for the postseason as well. As of the time I am writing this, the five teams hold a combined record of 8-0-1 through the first two weeks of the season.

Ben Larsen: The Valley Wheel in Western Mass. is off to a strong start with no team worse than 2-0, including Agawam on top with four wins already. Perennial power Longmeadow and last year’s upstart Minnechaug are bound to contend with powerful Agawam in this loaded league but don’t count out East Longmeadow and South Hadley from at least making some noise.

5. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH SLAP HITTERS. WHO ARE THE ONES TO PAY ATTENTION TO?

Scott Barboza: I'm looking no further than Mansfield's Bri Chiusano. The Coastal Carolina signee is the most dynamic lead-off hitter in the state and, as she showed earlier this week against King Philip, she also has some pop in the bat while taking a full swing. You have to take pause and applaud anybody who can launch a home run off of Meghan Rico after all.

Bruce Lerch: Bri Chiusano of Mansfield, who showed Tuesday that she can do a bit more than slap by cranking a three-run homer off of King Philip ace and reigning Miss Softball Meghan Rico. A four-year player for the Hornets manning centerfield and batting at the top of the lineup, Chiusano makes life miserable for opposing pitchers with her quick hands and tremendous speed and has an uncanny ability to survey how the defense is playing her and place the ball accordingly. The senior was named to ESPN Boston's preseason All-State team and will play for Coastal Carolina next year.

Ben Larsen: Typically a speedy singles hitter who uses his speed to get on and wreak havoc on the basepaths, Westfield’s Billy Smith got into the power game Monday, blasting a three-run homer in the Bombers’ rout of Belchertown. Smith, who also served as the Westfield football team’s quarterback this past season, has started out slow but is undoubtedly a player to watch moving forward.

6. WHAT'S BEEN THE MOST SURPRISING UPSET OF THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE SEASON?

Brendan Hall: My brethren on the Cape will call me Captain Hindsight with this one, but maybe Dennis-Yarmouth baseball is better than we've given them credit for after knocking off Plymouth North 8-2 on Wednesday. I think it was universally agreed that North, routinely one of the best hitting teams in Division 2, would be the favorite again in the South region even after losing key bats like Matt Walsh. But maybe D-Y should get more notice, with talented players like Matt Montalto, Matt Peterson and Miles Tuohy-Bedford. The Dolphins (2-1) got off to a hot start last season, including coach Paul Funk's 100th win, before coming back to Earth. Can they keep the hot start going this year?

Scott Barboza: If I told you I'd called Reading boys' lacrosse's overtime win over Westford Academy, I'd be lying. The Grey Ghosts entered this season with a lot of attention, particularly with the addition of Alex Eaton, in an already loaded Dual County League and the No. 6 ranking in our preseason Top 25 poll. Meanwhile, Reading was tough to read coming in because the Rockets lost some key cogs from last year's squad. What the Rockets did is prove that they should again challenge for the Middlesex League title.

Bruce Lerch: In boys lacrosse, certainly the most eye-opening result of the early season came when Melrose upset Lexington, 11-6. This is just the fourth year of the Red Raiders program, and in their first three years Melrose went a combined 9-44. Meanwhile, Lexington is an annual state championship and Middlesex League contender and reached the postseason in each of the three years since Melrose started its team. It was certainly a program defining victory for the Red Raiders.

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. – Consider it a declaration that the Hockomock League still runs through King Philip.

In the course of the last week, upstart North Attleborough softball knocked off rival Mansfield, before the Hornets then went on to scare the living daylights out of King Philip on their own diamond.

So were the Warriors ripe for an upset? Hardly.

No. 1King Philip’s resounding 9-1 victory over No. 12 North on Thursday was a return to the status quo.

“I think we’re finally feeling more comfortable at the plate, we’re having more quality at-bats,” Warriors head coach Jim Leonard said. “We were aggressive against a good pitcher [North’s Megan Colleran] and we put the ball in play. We’re starting to find our stride offensively.”

KP’s 11-hit barrage was balanced and saw five players drive in runs, including Meg Carnase, Tori Constantin and Renee Poirier who each had two RBI.

North (3-1) took their cuts against Warriors ace Meghan Rico and came away with seven hits. However, the Red Rocketeers left 10 runners stranded and had bases loaded situations in both the fifth and seventh, but were unable to score.

Kim Hallahan knocked in the Red Rocketeers’ lone run in the sixth with an RBI double.

VERSATILITY AND DEPTH SHOWCASED
The Warriors lost one of their top players for the afternoon and perhaps much longer on a pivotal play in the home half of the second.

KP shortstop Alyssa Siegmann charged a smash hit off the bat of North left fielder Erin Melaney. While making a stab at the ground, Siegmann collided with North’s runner, who was breaking for third. The potential base hit was wiped out by the umpire’s call of interference and Siegmann was shaken up (with what Leonard fears is a separated shoulder), not to mention it ended North's rally with the third out.

The Warriors could rest easy knowing that second baseman Tori Constantin could move over to short while Leonard inserted sophomore Rory Baraiolo at second.

Not only did Baraiolo provide some sharp leather work in the field, she also knocked in a run during the Warriors’ two-run fifth.

“It was great that we had two [first-year players] step in and contribute,” Leonard said. “[Baraiolo] had an RBI and Renee Poirier, a freshman, had a clutch RBI. I thought was a bit of a turning point.”

PLAINVILLE, Mass. -- On an afternoon where King Philip's ace pitcher Meghan Rico was not her standard, near-perfect self, her teammates made sure it wasn't going to be a problem.

The top-ranked Warriors pushed across five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, highlighted by a three-run homer by UMass-bound catcher Olivia Godin, and then held off a seventh inning rally by No. 7 Mansfield to escape with a 5-4 victory at Watters Field.

Having mustered just two hits off of Hornets ace Trish Hansen through the first four innings, the Warriors (2-0) got to work with the bats in the fifth. Cayleigh McCarthy (two hits) led off the frame with a base hit, Rico reached on a fielders choice two batters later and Hailey Mullen singled to load the bases.

Up to the plate stepped Colgate-commit Meg Carnase, who ripped a two-run double into left to bring home McCarthy and Rico with the game's first two runs. Godin was next, and the senior launched the first pitch she saw well over the fence in left to score Mullen and Carnase ahead of her.

"We came in and really lit a fire under each other," Godin said of the rally. "We were like, 'we've played [Hansen] so many times, we know what she throws, lets go. Lets get it going.' We have our 2-3-4 [hitters] struggling to get on base and we hit better than this so we just wanted to get it done."

NOT A REPEAT OF LAST WEEK
Staring at a 5-0 deficit against the state's reigning Player of the Year, you might as well have just put a "W" next to KP in the Hockomock League' standings column and move on to the next one. Mansfield already found themselves in a similar situation in its season opener, having spotted North Attleborough an early 6-0 lead from which they could not recover.

On this day, the Hornets decided to fight it out. Mansfield opened the seventh with a single by Alexis Stanley and a four-pitch walk by Lauren Boen. Two batters later, Bri Chiusano (two hits) belted a rocket over the centerfield fence to cut the deficit to 5-3.

After an out, Hansen helped her own cause with a base hit and catcher Kelly English brought her all the way around with a double to make it 5-4 before Rico finally retired the last hitter.

"Coming in 5-0 against Rico, you just go in say, 'Alright, rally caps,'" Mansfield head coach Jinneane Sperrazza. "Our left fielder, who got the bunt sign all game, comes up and ropes a single. Our next girl is a sophomore, she got a walk. and we're thinking something's going to happen. Then we have Bri, who I'm thinking is going to rip a single and we'll score a run and instead she hits a 3-run home run. I couldn't be any prouder of these kids."

AN ATYPICAL PERFORMANCE ON AN ATYPICAL DAY
Not only did the sun disappear somewhere around the third inning, leaving nothing but a cool wind breezing through the Plainville Athletic Complex, but both teams also had to deal with the sound of a chainsaw grinding away in the background. A television crew from the National Geographic Network's reality show 'American Chainsaw' was hard at work carving up a tree just behind the Hornets dugout, creating not only unneeded noise but sending ashes of chewed up tree bark wafting through the air.

Rico, who is a threat to toss a perfect game with 15-plus strikeouts every time she takes the mound, seemed to struggle a bit. Mansfield got runners aboard in every inning but the sixth, and got the leadoff batter on five times.

The Hornets made Rico work for this one, consistently getting deep into the count and forcing her throw a staggering 115 pitches through the first five innings. That said, the George Washington-bound standout escaped every tough situation, including inducing a game-ending groundout to squash the Hornets seventh inning rally.

"We're used to having Rico be next to perfect," KP head coach Jim Leonard said. "She's usually a very efficient pitcher and they took her deep in the count. Not the typical performance that we've come to expect from her but when we don't get that we need to make sure that other aspects of our game step up."

Today we kick off our high school coverage of the spring season with our preseason MIAA softball All-State team, as selected by ESPNBoston.com staff and state high school coaches.

STARTING ROTATION
Kiara Amos, Sr., Malden
Trish Hansen, Sr., Mansfield
Meghan Rico, Sr., King Philip
Sarah Ropiak, Sr., Acton-Boxborough
Shannon Smith, Jr., Milford

STARTING NINE
Taylor Archer, Sr. C/3B, Milford
Patty Borges, Sr. SS, Coyle-Cassidy
Alex Burgess, Sr. OF, Chelmsford
Bri Chiusano, Sr. OF, Mansfield
Lexi Gifford, Sr. IF/OF, Natick
Olivia Godin, Sr. C, King Philip
Nicole Lundstrom, Jr. C, Dighton-Rehoboth
Christina Raso, Sr. SS, Burlington
Reilly Weiners, Jr. C, Agawam

"BEST OF THE REST"
Meg Carnase, Sr. P, King Philip
Katie Casey, Jr. P, Braintree
Katherine Clark, Sr. P, Coyle-Cassidy
Allie Colleran, Jr. SS, Concord-Carlisle
Meghan Colleran, Soph. P, North Attleborough
Stephanie Cornish, Sr. SS, Abington
Abby Curran, Sr. IF, Bishop Fenwick
Alexis DeBrosse, Jr. 2B, New Bedford
Audrey Dolloff, Sr. P, Bridgewater-Raynham
Maggie Hoffman, Jr. P, Avon
Kaleigh Finigan, Jr. C, St. Mary's (Lynn)
Natalie Leone, Jr. 2B, Ashland
Rachel Levine, Jr. CF, Milford
Abby Johnson, Sr. SS, Chelmsford
Galen Kerr, Jr. P, Concord-Carlisle
Jackie Kielty, Jr. P, Middleborough
Kayli Moniz, Sr. SS, Fairhaven
Breanna Monroe, Sr. OF, Shrewsbury
Shannon Orton, Sr. P, Case
Kaci Panarelli, Jr. C, Shrewsbury
Meghan Rich, Sr. P, Chelmsford
Julie LeClair, Sr. 3B, Coyle-Cassidy
Cayleigh McCarthy, Sr. 1B, King Philip
Madi Shaw, Soph. SS, Bridgewater-Raynham
Alyssa Siegmann, Sr. SS, King Philip

WRENTHAM, Mass. -- While the state's attention is fixed on the high school football feast to come on Thanksgiving Day, the Division 1 state champion King Philip softball team took time to celebrate their second straight title with a ceremony on Wednesday.

Head coach Jim Leonard presented team members with postseason awards and team captains Kelsey Gray, Anna Kelley, Jenn Robillard returned from college to raise their championship banner to the rafters.

In addition, along with a truck-load of other hardward, we presented our inaugural ESPN Boston Miss Softball trophy to pitcher Meghan Rico.

STARTING ROTATION – FIRST TEAM
Ali Maloof, Sr. P, Norwood
The senior captain led the Mustangs to the D1 South finals with a 12-1 record and 0.59 ERA with 162 strikeouts in 82 innings. The Southern New Hampshire commit also hit .493 out of the leadoff spot for Norwood.
Emma Mendoker, Sr. P, Amherst
The Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year finished her high school career with 1,002 strikeouts, including 300 this season. The East Carolina commit went 23-2 leading the Hurricanes the D1 state final while posting a 0.17 ERA. She also batted .461 with three home runs and 23 RBI as Amherst’s clean-up hitter.

Meghan Rico, Jr. P, King Philip
Rico went 21-0 with a miniscule ERA of 0.15 and allowed just 29 hits over 144 innings thrown with 313 strikeouts and 24 walks. The George Washington University commit allowed only seven runs all season, three of which were earned, and threw two perfect games. Rico also threw four shutouts in the postseason on the Warriors’ drive to their repeat D1 title performance.

Sarah Ropiak, Jr. P, Acton-Boxborough
The two-time Dual County League All-Star team went 13-2, including 10 shutouts, with a 0.60 ERA. Ropiak is a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and American Leadership Council.
Shannon Smith, Soph. P, Milford
The 2010 Gatorade Player of the Year returned with a fine second season, going 21-2 for the D1 Central champion Scarlet Hawks. Smith posted a 0.94 ERA while striking out 296 in 164 innings. Smith also contributed to her own cause, hitting at a .357 clip with three home runs and 25 RBI.

STARTING NINE – FIRST TEAM
Katie Bumila, Sr. C, Coyle-Cassidy
The senior captain led a vaunted Warriors offense, hitting .536 with a home run and 22 RBI. The four-year starter was also entrusted by Coach Russell Hunt to call all the pitches behind the plate and was a three-year EAC All-Star. A star in the classroom as well, Bumila will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute next year.

Megan Congro, Sr. Sr. 1B, Sandwich
The URI commit led the Atlantic Coast League with a robust .661 batting average with two home runs and 30 RBI.

Lauren Duggan, Sr. 3B/P, Norwood
At third base, the UConn commit delivered the ball from third to first just about as quickly as you'll ever see. Duggan's cannon arm also helped her boast 1.13 ERA in the circle, splitting time with Ali Maloof. She also led the Bay State League in home runs with eight, while batting .415 with 33 RBI.

Quianna Diaz-Patterson, Sr.
The UMass-Amherst commit was perhaps the most feared lead-off hitter in the state with a tremendous first step out of the box. The captain and three-year starter hit .559 with eight home runs and 40 runs scored. Diaz-Patterson also stole 31 bases this year and held the distinction of never having been thrown out once on an attempted steal during her high school career.

Olivia Godin, Jr. C, King Philip
As much as Meghan Rico garnered the attention of the softball world this year, it was the Warriors' junior backstop who helped call the games for the hurler. The defensive stalwart also managed to put up a .400 on base percentage along with three home runs and 18 RBI. The Plainville resident has a verbal commitment to UMass-Amherst.

Meg Kelly, Sr. 2B, Reading
Kelly was a triple crown winner in the Middlesex League this season, batting .628 with five home runs and 35 RBI. She also struck out just three times all season. The URI commit was also a standout out on the Rockets' soccer and indoor track teams.

Anna Kelley, Sr. 3B, King Philip
Kelley's defense at the hot corner and her bat were main contributions to the Warriors' second straight D1 title. The UMass-Amherst commit batted .375 with a slugging percentage of .697. She also led KP in RBI with 33.

Brianna Martin, Sr. CF, Central Catholic
The three-year Merrimack Valley League All-Star was as strong in the field as she was at the plate. Martin didn't commit an error in her senior year while adding three outfield assists. Martin hit at a .549 clip while setting a Raiders program record for slugging percentage at .985.

Jenn Robillard, Sr. SS, King Philip
The Sacred Heart commit set the table for the Warriors from the lead-off spot with a .467 average and .533 on base percentage. The senior captain also stole 15 bases while contributing strong defensive play in the field.

BULLPEN – SECOND TEAM
Kiara Amos, Sr., Malden
Emily Berardi, Sr., Boston Latin
Noelle Christmas, Sr., Plymouth South
Audrey Dolloff, Sr., Bridgewater-Raynham
Meg Donegan, Sr., Central Catholic
Trish Hansen, Jr., Mansfield
Courtney Lanfranchi, Sr., Burlington
Bridget Lemire, Sr., St. Peter-Marian
Emily Mailloux, Sr., Turners Falls
Kelly Norton, Sr., Abington
Shannon Orton, Jr., Case
Megan Rich, Sr., Chelmsford

OFF THE BENCH – SECOND TEAM
Hannah Byrne, Sr. SS, Lynn Classical
Michelle Cooprider, Sr. P/OF, Hopkinton
Ellen Czuba, Sr. CF, Franklin
Alexis DeBrosse, So. 2B, New Bedford
Zoe Dillon-Davidson, Sr. C, Amherst
Amy Entel, Sr. P/OF, Somerset
Simone Frank, Sr. 3B, Amherst
Laura Kaminski, Sr. C, Amesbury
Nicole Lundstrom, So. C, Dighton-Rehoboth
Breanna Monroe, Jr. CF, Shrewsbury
Christina Raso, Jr. SS, Burlington
Reilly Weiners, So. C, Agawam

HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR
Dustin Belcher, Wahconah

ESPNBoston.com and its High School section today announced its inaugural Miss Softball Award recipient, recognizing King Philip Regional junior pitcher Meghan Rico. The award will be presented annually to the top high school softball player in Massachusetts.

The Miss Softball Award winner was chosen by a panel of experts made up of ESPNBoston.com staff, correspondents and state lacrosse coaches. Rico will be presented with the award at a later date.

“Meghan Rico burst on the scene as a sophomore, helping King Philip capture the D1 title one year ago, since then she’s established herself as the pitcher to beat in the state, lifting the Warriors to a second-straight championship,” said Scott Barboza, co-editor of ESPN Boston High Schools. “Pitching is paramount in softball and Rico was the most dominant player in the state at the most important position in the field.”

Rico went 21-0 with a miniscule ERA of 0.15. She allowed just 29 hits over 144 innings thrown with 313 strikeouts and 24 walks. The George Washington University commit allowed only seven runs all season, three of which were earned, and threw two perfect games. Rico also threw four shutouts in the postseason on the Warriors’ drive to their repeat D1 title performance.

At the plate, Rico hit at a .350 clip with a home run and six RBI.

Rico was named Hockomock League MVP while leading Jim Leonard’s team to an undefeated 26-0 season.

“Every time you watch Rico pitch, you go in expecting something special to happen,” Barboza said. “She’s set a precedent of near perfection in the circle that is without parallel. It’s amazing to think that she has yet another season to improve upon what has already been a remarkable high school career.”

WORCESTER, Mass. -- When Meghan Rico is in the circle, she remains in control. It’s not so much as King Philip head coach Jim Leonard says that perfection is “almost expected,” but nothing seems to faze her.

During Saturday’s Division 1 state championship softball game at Worcester State’s Rockwood Field, Rico found herself in a serious pickle in the sixth inning against Western Mass. champion Amherst. There were runners on first and third with one out.

No fear.

Rico reared back a little bit harder and came back with two of her 19 strikeouts to end the inning and preserve the scoreless tie. In an uncharacteristic moment, the George Washington commit gave a fist pump while sprinting off the field.

It was a big out.

And, as it would turn out, it was the difference after the Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth on Meg Carnase’s double.

Rico returned to strike out the side in the seventh to provide KP with its second straight state title and finish the season undefeated at 26-0.

“We needed that right there,” Rico said of getting out of the sixth-inning jam. “If they score right there, it was going to be really hard to come back to score against them. I knew we had to score first, we had to be the ones to score and we did that.”

Runs came at a premium as the state’s top pitchers squared off in the circle with Rico opposing the Hurricanes’ Emma Mendoker.

Mendoker, the East Carolina commit, kept the Warriors hitless through 5 2/3 innings, only to take the hard-luck loss in the end. The Gatorade Massachusetts Softball Player of the Year finished with 10 strikeouts while surrendering only two hits.

“I think the main thing for Emma is that she has such an arsenal of both movement and speed that if keeps them off balance,” Hurricanes head coach Kacey Schmitt said.

Rico snapped Mendoker’s no-hit bid with a single to right-center to start the two-out rally. Courtesy runner Hailey Mullen came around to score the game’s only run on Carnase’s bases-loaded double after Amherst centerfielder Athena Donta slipped while trying to make a play on the fly ball.

It looked as though Carnase’s hit had cleared the bases, but the inning ended as an appeal made to the umpires was upheld finding that Jenn Robillard hadn’t touched third base while scoring what would’ve been KP’s third run. Instead, it was the third out.

“There were two strikes against me, so I was just trying to protect the plate,” Carnase said. “It was close, so I just swung at it and fell in.”



Amherst (23-2) jumped on Rico immediately with lead-off hitter Quianna Diaz-Patterson (2-for-3, 3 SBs) and third baseman Simone Frank banging out hits to start the game. The Hurricanes stranded both runners on base as Rico reeled off three strikeouts.

It was the beginning of a chain of 10 straight strikeouts by Rico, which helped her equal her single-game career high of 19.

“When there’s runners on base, it’s almost like she takes it personally,” Leonard said of Rico. “It was huge for us to strand those base runners in the first and again in the sixth innings, to keep those runners standing at third.”

Diaz-Patterson, the UMass commit, was again the fulcrum to the Hurricanes’ sixth-inning rally. Frank reached on a fielder’s choice via the bunt, but again the Amherst runners advanced no further.

Rico got Zoe Dillon-Davidson swinging and Mendoker looking to end the inning.

“We knew how their hitters hit,” Warriors catcher Olivia Godin said. “We went to the Amherst-Milford [state semifinal] game, so we knew that some batter we couldn’t pitch inside and we just had to go all away, off the plate. Mendoker’s great, so we had to go off plate to her.”



All they needed was just one run.

“It was a lot of pressure to get that perfect season,” Rico said. “We wanted it so bad that I had no doubt in my mind that we weren’t going to have a perfect season, but just to finish it like this is amazing.”

TAUNTON, Mass. – The game plan for King Philip softball is usually simple: Hand the ball to ace Meghan Rico, scratch across a run or two and take the win.

While the Warriors are used to seeing their pitcher near perfection, Norwood put up a rare two runs against Rico in the Division 1 South final Friday night at Taunton High’s Jack Tripp Field.

However, the defending D1 state champions showed that they’re more than just pitching, exhibiting a fine offense while playing a little small ball with some shows of power mixed in. With a 4-2 win over the Mustangs, the Warriors continued their quest toward a second-straight state title.

“To many, they expect perfection time and time again,” KP head coach Jim Leonard said of Rico’s performance. “When you face another unbeaten team, they have quality hitters, good defense, they have good pitching. I thought Rico showed that she was equal to the task if not better.”

The Warriors (24-0) started fast, opening scoring with a run in the home half of the first. Leadoff hitter Jenn Robillard sent one to the left-center field fence off of Mustangs starter Ali Maloof. Alyssa Siegmann followed with a perfectly placed bunt single to score Robillard.

Anna Kelley plated KP’s second run in the third on an RBI single and Meg Carnase gave the Warriors a 3-1 lead in the fifth with run-scoring double.

KP first baseman Cayleigh McCarthy provided the exclamation point to the victory, belting Maloof’s 2-2 offering 225 feet over the left-center field fence for a home run.

Rico, while not perfect as usual, was still strong. Only one of the runs allowed were earned with Sarah Eckhardt driving a run on a fielder’s choice in the sixth. She surrendered two hits—one a bunt single by Eckhardt and the other a double to lead off the sixth from Norwood’s No. 9 hitter Kayla Garczynski.

“It’s bound to happen sometime,” Rico said. “They’re a good hitting team. All of the teams we’re going to play from here on out are going to be good hitting teams, so I expected them to score some runs.”

Still, it wasn’t as effortless as Rico typically makes it look. She went 13 pitches deep with Mustangs feared third baseman and UConn signee Lauren Duggan in a battle in the fourth inning. Rico finally got Duggan to succumb on a pop-up to catcher Olivia Godin with an inside screwball.

She was great when she needed to be.

“I think she showed what she’s made out of,” Leonard said of Rico. “She’s a composed young lady, but she battled.

“The combination of her and [Olivia] Godin behind the plate, I don’t call any pitches. I have the ultimate trust in Olivia to call and handle the pitching staff. It’s comforting to have that kind of competence behind the plate.”

After ending the Mustang’s perfect season (21-0 previously), the Warriors will play the North sectional champion in the Eastern Mass. final at Taunton on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Before the MIAA state softball tournaments get underway this afternoon, we're breaking down the brackets and picking some winners.

NORTH
Division 1
Favorites: Chelmsford (19-1), Lynn Classical (20-2), Malden (17-3)
Sleepers: Concord-Carlisle (17-3), Central Catholic (15-3), Acton-Boxborough (15-5)
Barboza's take: Chelmsford claimed the top seed after turning a nearly flawless (minus one hiccup against Methuen) regular season as MVC Large champions and enter the tournament as favorite. Lynn Classical looks to continue its storybook season while Malden will go as far as ace Kiara Amos can take them. Central Catholic could be the one to watch here as it may have the strongest pitcher in the bracket with Meg Donegan.
Prediction: Chelmsford over Central Catholic and Acton-Boxborough over Bishop Fenwick in the semifinals; Chelmsford over A-B in final.

Division 2
Favorites: Amesbury (18-2), Burlington (18-2), Reading (17-3)
Sleepers: Dracut (14-5), Tewksbury (14-6), Stoneham (11-9)
Barboza's take: Amesbury enters as the top seed, but you could say that Burlington, who finished atop the Middlesex League, is the favorite to come out of this sectional. Fellow Middlesex entrants Reading and Stoneham should also prove to be tough outs. Burlington's potential quarter-final matchup against Dracut could determine the winner.
Prediction: Reading over Tewksbury and Burlington over Saugus in semifinals; Burlington over Reading in final.

Division 3
Favorites: Whittier (18-2), St. Mary's of Lynn (18-2)
Sleepers: Marian (15-5), Latin Academy (14-6)
Barboza's take: Akin to their girls' hockey team, until someone unseats St. Mary's, it's their tournament.
Prediction: Whittier over Marian and St. Mary's over Shawsheen; St. Mary's over Whittier.

SOUTH
Division 1
Favorites: King Philip (20-0), Norwood (18-0)
Sleepers: Mansfield (18-2), Bridgewater-Raynham (17-3), New Bedford (13-7)
Barboza's take: King Philip and Norwood have been the two most dominant teams in Eastern Mass and went wire-to-wire ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively in our ESPN Boston Top 25 poll. We're looking for the matchup of KP ace Meghan Rico going head-to-head with the Mustangs' Ali Maloof and Lauren Duggan.
Prediction: King Philip over B-R and Norwood over New Bedford in the semifinals; KP over Norwood in the final.

Division 2
Favorites: Abington (19-1), Hopkinton (18-2)
Sleepers: Coyle-Cassidy (16-4), Bellingham (16-4), Dedham (14-6), Plymouth South (13-7)
Barboza's take: This section is stacked from seed No. 1 to No. 21 and might be the most intriguing in the state. South Shore champion Abington and TVL crown-winners Hopkinton take the top two seeds, but we see this one as wide open with the potent Coyle-Cassidy and Bellingham lineups able to tear through top-flight pitching. We also wouldn't be surprised to see Plymouth South emerge from the back the pack.
Prediction: Abington over Coyle-Cassidy and Plymouth South over Bellingham in semifinals; Abington over Plymouth South in the final.

Division 3
Favorites: Nantucket (17-3), Avon (16-4), Case (14-6)
Sleepers: Bishop Connolly (17-3), Bristol-Plymouth (13-4)
Barboza's take: It's always hard to pick against the alma mater, and Connolly's had a fine season, but we can't help but think this one comes down to Avon and Case. Nantucket will look to hold serve as the top seed.
Prediction: Avon over Nantucket and Case over Connolly in semifinals; Case over Avon in the final.

CENTRAL
Division 1
Favorite: Milford (19-1)
Sleepers: St. Peter-Marian (17-3), Holy Name (14-4), Shrewsbury (15-5)
Barboza's take: We've pegged the Scarlet Hawks as the favorite from Day 1 and they've maintained the No. 3 position in our statewide Top 25 poll all season long. The question is whether St. Peter-Marian, Holy Name or Shrewsbury have enough to pull off an upset.
Prediction: Milford over Shrewsbury and St. Peter-Marian over Holy Name in semifinals; Milford over SP-M in the final.

Division 2
Favorite: Hudson (18-2)
Sleepers: Narragansett (18-2), Grafton (17-3)
Barboza's take: Much like D3 North is to St. Mary's, D2 Central is to Hudson. It's simply the Hawks' world and everybody else lives in it. We wouldn't be at all surprised if Hudson repeats at state champions behind Jurnee Ware.
Prediciton: Naragansett over Groton-Dunstable and Hudson over Grafton in semifinals; Hudson over Naragansett in the final.

Division 3
Favorites: Assabet (16-2), Uxbridge (16-4)
Sleepers: Hopedale (15-5), Worcester Tech (15-5)
Barboza's take: We're looking for the top seeds to bear out in this one, until the semifinals.
Prediction: Assabet over Hopedale and Uxbridge over Murdock; Uxbrudge over Assabet.

WESTERN
Division 1
Favorite: Amherst (19-1)
Sleeper: Agawam (16-4)
Barboza's take: Most, including us who had Amherst ranked No. 4 in the state to begin the season, thought the Hurricans would run away and hide this season. That is until Agawam dealt them a shocking defeat midway through the spring. Amherst later returned the favor, beating the Brownies in the teams' second meeting. Now, we're looking forward to a third.
Prediction: Amherst over West Springifled and Agawam over East Longmeadow in semifinals; Amherst over Agawam in the final.

Division 2
Favorite: Wahconah (19-1)
Sleeper: Palmer (16-4)
Barboza's take: When in doubt, take the seedings.
Prediction: Wahconah over Palmer in the final.

Division 3
Favorite: Turners Falls (20-0)
Sleeper: Ware (15-3)
Barboza's take: Turners Falls has been perhaps the most dominant team in the state, not named King Philip, throughout the season. And we don't see the defending D3 West champs taking a fall in this tourney.
Prediction: Turners Falls over Gateway and Ware over Mt. Everett in semifinals; Turners Falls over Ware in the final.