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MILFORD, Mass. – The gloves flying through the air and the mass celebration at home plate after the final out was made, confirmed what everyone outside the foul lines already knew – this was more than just a standard regular season Hockomock League game.

“That probably, in my career, is the team’s best regular season win. Did that ooze tournament atmosphere or what?” asked an excited North Attleborough head coach Bill Wallace after the final pitch.

North Attleborough (7-2) pushed home one run in the top of the 10th inning, only the second run allowed by Milford (10-1) in 11 games this season, and the Rocketeers threw out runners at the plate twice in extra innings to pull off a 1-0 upset over the defending Division 1 state champions. The Rocketeers’ victory ended the Scarlet Hawks win streak at 35 games going back to 2011.

“It was just a great game,” said Wallace. “That kid [Shannon Smith] is a darn good pitcher over there, but luckily I have a darn good pitcher over here too.”

With the game scoreless heading into extra innings, the International Tiebreak Rule was used, which begins the inning with a runner on second. It was the first time that either team had managed to get a runner past first base.

In the top of the tenth, Colleran dropped down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Marissa Gifford to third. Senior catcher Meghan Wynn then smacked a grounder on a 1-2 pitch that third baseman Caroline Fairbanks knocked down with a diving stop, but Fairbanks was not able to get the throw home in time to prevent Gifford, who was running on contact, from scoring.

“I knew that in order to pull out the win that I had to be smart and make contact,” said Wynn about the last at-bat with the go-ahead run just 60 feet from home. “I know that she’s going to pitch smart and not give me anything to hit. I just have to watch the ball all the way to the bat.”

Milford had the heart of the order coming up in the bottom of the tenth and Smith, Milford’s University of Kentucky-bound senior, drew a walk to put the winning run on base with no outs. Fairbanks followed with a sacrifice bunt that moved both runners into scoring position. On the next pitch, Rachel Levine hit a hard grounder off Colleran’s glove to shortstop Jill Costello, who bobbled the ball but was still able to throw out Sam Bonvino at the plate.

Colleran, who seemed especially fired up for this game, then struck out Taylor LeBrun to close out the victory and set off the celebrations at home plate.

“It feels great; I’m so excited right now,” said Colleran, who struck out eight while allowing only two hits. “They’re a really great team, so I just knew that I had to move the ball around and fool them because I know that every kid on that team can put it over the fence.”

The game had a playoff atmosphere from the first pitch and the Hawks starter was her usual dominant self. Smith, who recorded her 1,000th career strikeout last week, started the game by striking out two batters in three of the first four innings. She finished with 17 for the game and allowed only one hit in the defeat.

After 35 consecutive wins, Milford head coach Brian Macchi was philosophical about the team’s first loss since the 2011 state semifinal against Amherst and its first loss as a Hockomock League team.

“It was two great teams going at it and in my opinion the two best pitchers and it showed. Shannon pitched great, Meg pitched great and it was fun to be a part of,” Macchi said.

He continued, “It’s been a while since we’ve lost a game and come back to work the next day. For me as a coach, you lose to a caliber team like North, we can learn from this and come back tomorrow and go to work. It’s definitely a learning experience for us and we’ll turn this into a positive.”

While Colleran was excellent in the circle, North also made several plays to get out of potential scoring situations. After a single by Smith in the first inning, North first baseman Jackie Del Bonis snared a line drive by Fairbanks to end the inning. In the bottom of the sixth Costello picked a hard grounder by Bonvino to prevent the heart of the order from coming up. In the bottom of the eighth, second baseman Gifford made a perfect throw home to prevent the winning run from scoring.

Following North’s shocking loss to Attleboro last Thursday, Wallace was thrilled to see his team bounce back with a total team effort and to pull the biggest upset of the softball season.

“Wins and losses in April aren’t as important as wins and losses in June, but from a team standpoint, I think now they believe, you know what, we’re with the Milfords and the [King Philips],” said Wallace.

“We were all really bummed out,” said Colleran about the team’s attitude after the loss to the Bombardiers. “I think this is huge, especially a game when we think we are underdogs. It could kick start us and boost us through the rest of the season.”

Macchi was thrilled about the playoff atmosphere surrounding the game and noted that Division 1 South is going to be a stacked sectional from top to bottom. He is hoping that this loss will add motivation for the Hawks to keep improving.

“Today was a great test and something that we can build on,” Macchi explained. “I am looking forward to practice tomorrow with these girls and seeing how hungry they are.”

STARTING ROTATION
Megan Colleran, Jr., North Attleborough
Anna O'Neill, Sr., King Philip
Lauren Ramirez, Sr., Dracut
Kendal Roy, Jr., Grafton
Shannon Smith, Sr., Milford

STARTING NINE
Tori Constantin, Sr. 2B, King Philip
Stephanie Cornish, Sr. 3B, Abington
Alexis DeBrosse, Sr. SS, New Bedford
Caroline Fairbanks, Sr. 3B, Milford
Nicole Lundstrom, Sr. C, Dighton-Rehoboth
Bella Picard, Sr. SS, Blackstone Valley Tech
Madi Shaw, Jr. SS, Bridgewater-Raynham
Dakota Smith-Porter, Sr., P/SS, Turners Falls
Reilly Weiners, Sr. C, Agawam

WATCH LIST
Olivia Antczak, Soph. P, Central Catholic
Allie Colleran, Jr. SS/OF, Concord-Carlisle
Megan Cook, Jr. P, Bellingham
Haley Currie, Sr. 3B, Burlington
Sara Dawson, Soph. P, Bridgewater-Raynham
Kaleigh Finigan, Sr. 3B, St. Mary's (Lynn)
Bridget Furlong, Sr. 2B, Malden
Courtney Girouard, Jr. P, Fairhaven
Galen Kerr, Sr. P, Concord-Carlisle
Taylor LeBrun, Soph. C, Milford
Rachel Levine, Sr. CF, Milford
Michaela Mazure, Soph. INF, Burlington
Shannon McLaughlin, Jr. P, Tewksbury
Paige Mulry, Jr. C, Boston Latin
MacKenzie Navarro, Jr. 1B, Taunton
Alicia Reid, Sr. CF, Abington
Kelsey Saucier, Jr. P, Holy Name
Rachael Smith, Jr. P, Winchester
Lauren Tuiskula, Sr. P, Leicester
Jurnee Ware, Sr. P, Hudson

MILFORD, Mass. – The representing winners of the last three Division 1 state softball championships faced off Thursday. And, while most teams are feeling their way through the early season, a duel between Milford and King Philip always enlists a certain amount of intensity.

Reigning ESPN Boston Miss Softball award winner Shannon Smith looked near mid-season form in the circle for the Scarlet Hawks with 14 strikeouts in a complete-game, one-hitter in a 3-0 win over their new Hockomock League rival.

“You just look at this first week and playing a team like Taunton and then King Philip here, you know you were going have a test, big time,” Milford head coach Brian Macchi said. “We knew we were going to have an early indication of where we stand.

Milford (2-0, 2-0 Hockomock) churned out nine hits against Warriors starter Anna O’Neill and took an early lead in the second. Elizabeth Stallone drove in Caroline Fairbanks with a two-out single.

The Scarlet Hawks continued to produce with two outs in the fifth, when they pushed across a couple of insurance runs. Smith shot an opposite field single to the gap, scoring Sam Bonvino for a two-run cushion before Rachel Levine smacked a single to left, scoring Jenny Levine, who was running for Smith.

“In a game like this, you’re looking at one-to-nothing, as it could be the decider,” Macchi said. “But tacking on two runs … you just have that much more confidence as the game goes on.”

“She battled and found a way to get us another run, which was important.”

“She’s realizing that it’s her senior year and this is her last go-round. She’s relishing the opportunity to really leave on high note.”

“It’s a nice welcome to the league. It’ll be nice to see how the rivalries develop through time.”

WELCOME TO THE SHOW
With the addition of Milford and Taunton into the Hockomock League this year, both the Kelley-Rex and Davenport divisions have turned into an effective softball super conference.

While the defending champion Scarlet Hawks make their move from the Central sectional into the South, Macchi and his team realize how perilous the move could prove. They need look no further than their Thursday opponent, the owners of back-to-back state titles in 2010 and ’11.

The Warriors (1-1) have a new look this season, with an entirely new battery. O’Neill (10 strikeouts) takes over in the circle for Meghan Rico (George Washington) while junior Jordan Schaffer slides in behind the plate, taking over for another two-time ESPN Boston All-State selection in Olivia Godin (UMass-Amherst). KP also has a new head coach, as longtime Case bench boss Norm Beauchemin takes over for Jim Leonard.

And while the Warriors might be a team in (relative) transition, the Milford hurler still knew what the game represented.

“It means a lot to us,” Smith said. “It gives us confidence heading into the season just because it’s so early on and we’ve only played one other game. It shows us the potential we have. If we can beat a team like that this early, think of where we could be at the end of the year.”

HUDSON, Mass. -- The juggernaut known as Milford just keeps on rolling.

The Scarlet Hawks scored three runs in the third inning to break a 1-1 tie with Leominster and roll on to a 5-1 victory tonight in the semifinals of the Division 1 Central Mass. tournament. No. 1 Milford (21-0) faces No. 3 Holy Name (16-4) Saturday night in the finals beginning at 7 p.m. at Worcester State University. The fifth-seeded Blue Devils completed their season at 14-8.

While Scarlet Hawks' pitcher Shannon Smith has grabbed much of the attention on this team, and rightfully so, it was the bat of Rachel Levine that turned most heads.

The junior belted a home run, a triple and double, along with 3 RBIs, to ignite the Milford offense. With the game knotted at 1-1, the Scarlet Hawks scored three times in the third which was all Smith (1 run, 1 hit, 10 Ks) would need. Taylor Archer made it a 2-1 contest with a ground rule double to right. Levine followed with a two-run double to left. Her home run came in the sixth, belting a solo shot over the right field fence to extend the Scarlet Hawks' advantage to four runs.

"I've been working about with the inside pitch because I don't like to hit it and then I get it and hit a home run so it feels good," said Levine.

Levine's triple in the second inning put Milford on the board first. One out later, she scored on Taylor LeBrun's deep fly to left. Leominster tied the game in the top of the third. Junior Dominique Zarrella walked and moved to second on a ground out. Stephanie Storro then hit a routine grounder to first but the ball got past first baseman Samantha Bonvino allowing Zarrella to score from second. But in the bottom of the frame, Milford's offense went on the attack and the three runs scored was all Smith needed as she kept the Blue Devils in the check the rest of the way.

HOLY NAME 2, SHEPHERD HILL 0
In a pitcher's duel between Shepherd Hills' Molly Covill and Holy Name's Kelsey Saucier, offense would be at a premium. But in the Naps' fifth, Ama Biney, a sophomore, lasered a two-run single to centerfield which was all her team would need as they blanked the Rams 2-0 in the Division 1 Central Mass. semifinal.

"I was just trying to do whatever I could to help my team," said Biney, who finished 2-for-3 at the plate, including a double. "In that inning, with runners on, I was just trying to make contact."

No. 7 Shepherd Hill (14-9) had a chance to take an early lead. In the second inning, with a Samantha Miller standing on third, Emily Handon executed a suicide squeeze. However, Saucier was able to field the ball cleanly, tossing it to catcher Keara LaVallee in time to tag Miller out.

D3: ASSABET 2, QUABOAG 1
In a Division 3 semifinal, top-seed Assabet Valley (19-1) needed extra innings to edge No. 4 Quaboag 2-1. In a re-match of last year's Central Mass. final, won by the Cougars 9-1, it was the Aztecs who had the final laugh this time out. However, it did not come easy.

Assabet took a 1-0 lead in its half of the fourth thanks to a Brittney Lutz single that scored Jen Casavant, who led off the frame with a single.

The Aztecs appeared poised to keep the shutout in tact. In fact right up to the final out. In the final inning, the Cougars (18-4) appeared done after the first two batters were retired. But a triple off the bat of Allyson Smith was followed by a single from Danielle Sweet to tie the game after seven innings. Despite some of the wind taken out of their sails, the Aztecs never got down on themselves. In their half of the eighth, Chelsea Campana delivered an RBI walk-off single. Assabet will meet Blackstone Valley Tech Saturday at 3 p.m. in the final at Worcester State University.

"We had lost to Quaboag last year in the final so we wanted to come out and show them who we are," Campana said. "Blackstone, we know, will be a great competitor. We have beaten them three times this season already but it seems to get closer and closer each time that we play them. We're just hoping for another great game."

MILFORD, Mass. -- It was only fitting for Milford ace Shannon Smith to finish her season face-to-face with Colonials' starter Sarah Ropiak.

Dominating all year for their respective state softball semi-finalist teams, the Scarlet Hawks hurler started and finished her schedule scraping for a win against A-B's top senior. As was the case in their season opener, the junior again grabbed a slim one-run tilt for top-seeded Milford (20-0) with a 3-2 triumph over guest No. 11 Acton-Boxboro (12-5) on Thursday.

“Being behind [is] something that has not happened too us much this season,” Milford head coach Brain Macchi said. “Shannon threw some pitches that were important for us to get out of jams. She is putting in the work during the offseason (and) coming in physically and mentally strong.”

Smith tossed eight strikeouts for Milford, while Ropiak finished two hitters. The Colonials' senior allowed two additional smacks, with 10 hits and one walk.

BATTLING AT THE PLATE
Macchi looked for aggressive at-bats from his girls, but has preached all season the importance of pumping up the pitch count.

A lofted center field triple by sophomore Sam Bonvino brought home teammate senior Lindsey Read from first for the winner in the fourth, while a frozen rope by junior Carolyn Fairbanks dropped through the glove of leaping center fielder Lindsey Chen to score the first run for the Mid-Wach A Conference champs.

After forcing 28 pitches in the second, a foul-line dribbler by junior Rachel Levine knocked in Fairbanks from second for a 2-2 tie in the third.

“From day one of the season, we talked about having the pitcher work and work and work,” Macchi said. “Sarah Ropiak is a great pitcher and she is going to be around the strike zone. We are trying to put the ball in play and make their team make plays.”

Fairbanks went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI, while Levine also banged out a 2-for-3 day with one RBI.

COLONIAL COMPOSURE
The Dual County (Large) leaders lost their previous matchup 1-0 at home off a wild pitch. Allowing 17 strikeouts in their last battle, coach Mary Matthews looked for stronger at bats in the rematch.

Facing a one run hole, Ropiak finished A-B's fourth straight single to open the third with a blooper for an RBI along the first-base line.

The Colonials pulled ahead off a fielder's choice rip by Lindsey Chen in their following at-bat.

“We accomplished the goals we wanted to accomplish [to] not to give up an unearned run, not to fall apart after something goes wrong, and
to have quality at bats,” Matthews said. “Last time we played them [Smith] just mowed us down. Bunt if you have to [or] slap if you have,
but fight, fight, fight just so you have a chance.”

Maddie Hatch and Kirstin Pfister (one run) led A-B, going 3-for-4.

PAINTING THE CORNERS
Smith has won 19 of Milford's 20 games this season, including her eighth no-hitter yesterday in a 2-0 blanking of Leominster. The junior did not avoid hits this afternoon, but looked to work the corners and limit deep knocks.

Smith allowed only singles with nine Colonial hits.

“A lot of the hits where they scored runs were little bloopers,” Smith said. “Stuff they were getting off the end of the bat. Keep hitting the corners so they can not hit anything too deep and go yard.”

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

AMHERST, Mass. -- Thursday’s Division 1 state softball semifinal all came down to speed for Amherst.

There was the speed on the base paths, personified in lightning fast lead-off hitter Quianna Diaz-Patterson. There was also the speed thrown at the Hurricanes by the opposing pitcher, sophomore flame-thrower Shannon Smith. It was also found in the Amherst hurler Emma Mendoker’s ability to get ahead quickly in the count against the Scarlet Hawks' hitters, leaving them in a hole in their at-bats.

Those three qualities helped the Hurricanes take a 3-0 victory over Milford in a de facto home game for Amherst played on the campus of UMass.

The Hurricanes (23-1) advance to face Eastern Mass. and defending D1 champion King Philip in the state title game Saturday at Worcester State.

“We had to go in knowing that we had to speed up the game,” Diaz-Patterson said.



Amherst used the lessons learned from last year’s upset at the hands of Milford. The Scarlet Hawks outlasted the Hurricanes in eight innings to take a 1-0 win and advance to the state final against King Philip.

This time around, Amherst turned the table and it was the Hurricanes’ ace, Mendoker prevailing with the shutout. The newly minted ESPN RISE Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year lived up to her billing, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning against Milford (22-2). Mendoker finished with 12 strikeouts and needed just 86 pitches for the complete game.

Although the Scarlet Hawks didn’t scratch out a hit until there was two outs in the sixth, with lead-off hitter Rachel Levine taking a bloop single to left, Mendoker hardly noticed what was going on.

“I thought, ‘Was there a ball in the infield or the outfield?’” Mendoker said.

She added: “It was awesome. I just played my heart out and so did the girls and I’m really proud of our team.”

The Hurricanes got all the offense Mendoker would require in a three-run third inning.

Amherst showed patience at the plate while working Smith for three walks during the inning, including a lead-off walk by Diaz-Patterson (3 stolen bases). Simone Frank followed with a single and Zoe Dillon-Davidson followed to load up the bases. Mendoker plated the game’s first run with a bases loaded walk. Then, Hurricanes left fielder Brittany Deres provided the game-breaking punch with a two-run single.

“It’s tough to generate offense against a pitcher like [Mendoker],” Milford head coach Brian Macchi said. “You’re just hoping to keep it a one-run game instead of a three-run game because then it really becomes an uphill battle to find a way to get those three runs.”

The Scarlet Hawks threatened in the sixth with two runners on and two out. However, Mendoker got the best of her counterpart, Smith to foul out to end the inning.

After allowing another hit in the seventh, the East Carolina commit slammed the door shut with two strikeouts to end the game.