Through four innings, Franklin pitcher Kaylee Marshe had everything under control. But a swift stroke by Conant’s Sierra Landry changed all of that, clearing the bases with a three-run inside-the-park home run that gave the Orioles a one-run advantage.
The Golden Tornadoes took a timeout and Coach Skip DuBois met the girls in the pitcher’s circle for no more than a few seconds. The group broke up, and Marshe took a walk around the circle before looking to her catcher, Anna Doherty.
“I panicked a little bit in the circle … but my catcher looked at me and said ‘take a deep breath’ and I did,” Marshe said. “If I could get that last out, we would be okay.”
The next batter flew out to left field and No. 2 Franklin (17-1) bounced back in the sixth inning with four runs on crafty bunt work and focus on the base paths.
Franklin’s offensive surge secured a 7-4 lead, and Marshe followed up with a 1-2-3 seventh inning to seal the Division III quarterfinals win at Franklin’s Odell Park on Monday.
The home run aside, Marshe spun a nearly flawless game with 10 strikeouts and one walk. Only one Conant batter reached base in the sixth and seventh innings and didn’t get past first.
“I know I can go out there and throw basically any kind of game and (my teammates) are going to have my back,” said Marshe, who had not faced Conant during the regular season. “I can pitch to contact and I know they are going to field it for me, and then pick me up in batting.”
Down by a run to start the sixth inning, Breanna Styles (single) and Meghan Johnston (error) reached base. Left fielder Ryley Haskins then laid down a squeeze bunt that was good enough to score Styles from third. Mariah Haney came up next and executed the same play, poking the ball back to Conant pitcher Maddy Springfield, who took the easy out at first as Johnston crossed the plate for the go-ahead run.
Franklin struggled with the bunt earlier in the game, with two batters knocking the ball straight up for easy outs by Conant catcher Madison Picard. Finally, the small-ball game was clicking with two bunts returning two runs, and Dubois called for it a third straight time.
Anna Sylvestre put down a bunt with Haskins on third, but this time Springfield was ready. Conant (13-5) decided to protect the plate with one out while down by one run, and Springfield gathered the ball and tossed it to the plate with Haskins midway down the line. Haskins, caught in a pickle, cut back to third and then back to home again, diving toward the plate. Springfield covered the plate but fumbled the catch, and Haskins was safe to give Franklin a two-run cushion.
“We’ve practiced breaking from third base on contact if the ball is down and I got two girls to get the bunt where I asked them to put it,” Dubois said. “It was perfect.”
As Haskins fought for the plate, Sylvestre stayed focused on the bases and reached third on the play. She was batted in a couple of minutes later on a sacrifice fly to shallow left by Rachael Capri for Franklin’s fourth run of the frame.
“We put some runs together, got out and got up on them and then the last (inning) we just frickin’ imploded,” said Conant Coach Tom Lambert.
Marshe struck out five in the first two innings and didn’t give up a hit until the third. Franklin took a 1-0 lead in the second on a single by Haney that drove in Johnston from second base.
“Through the first two innings, we didn’t want to hit,” Lambert said. “If you don’t want to hit early, then you’re not going to hit.”
In the bottom of the third, Doherty deposited one deep toward center for a triple that drove in Capri from second. Hanne Nichols stepped up next and scored Doherty on a sacrifice fly to center field.
Capri, hitting in the leadoff spot, led the Golden Tornadoes on 3-for-4 hitting with a run and one RBI. Doherty, Styles, Johnston, Haskins and Haney all finished with a hit apiece. Nichols, Doherty, Haskins and Haney each punched in one RBI.
Franklin will face Berlin in the semifinals Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Plymouth State.
“Our goal was to get back to Plymouth. … We’ve been knocked out five years in a row in this quarterfinal round,” Dubois said. “As the team grew through the year and matured, we started saying ‘these girls have a shot.’ ”
(Nick Stoico can be reached at 369-3309, nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)
From coaches’ reports
White Mountains 4, Belmont 1
Key players: Belmont – Megan Prescott (7 IP, 4 ER, 4 K), Jordan Lavallee (triple, run), Courtney Clairmont (RBI)
Highlights/key moments: Belmont opened the game with a leadoff double, but the runner was thrown out trying to advance on a dropped third strike. Prescott only allowed one run through six innings. Trailing 4-0 in the seventh, Lavallee reached base and scored on Clairmont’s sacrifice, but the Red Raiders were unable to get closer.
Coach’s quote: “I’m very proud of this group, we went up there and played the No. 1, undefeated team to a one-run game for six innings.” – Belmont’s Bill Clary
Records: Belmont 13-5; White Mtns. 18-0