HOOKSETT – After she caught the game’s final strike, Pembroke Academy catcher Briana Connolly tore off her mask, her eyes popping from her head. She jumped, turned right, skipped back to her left … and then she finally sprinted to the group hug behind the circle after the No. 6 Spartans beat No. 2 Goffstown, 2-1, in Thursday’s Division II softball semifinals.
“Completely insane,” said Connolly, who scored both of Pembroke’s runs and caught a beauty of game from PA pitcher Stephanie Berube. “I just ran wherever because I couldn’t even process what had just happened. I still haven’t even cried yet.”
The Spartans (15-4) have been in the semifinals three of the last four years, but on Saturday at 7 p.m., they will play in the first softball championship game in school history when they take on No. 4 Milford at Southern New Hampshire University.
“I think everyone just wanted this so bad … this year, we came back and we are actually making it to the championship for the first time in history,” Connolly said.
Goffstown (18-4) and Pembroke came into the game averaging 9.9 and 7.1 runs per game, respectively. But there were no big innings Thursday, or even an extra-base hit. It was just three lonely runs patched together with singles, walks, errors and whatever else the teams could find.
“I think defense is really our back bone and I’m glad this didn’t turn into a slugfest like everyone thought it would,” Pembroke Coach Ashley Gladu said. “I can count on these girls for anything and they really held it together. They played Spartan ball and that’s what we needed.”
Asked what “Spartan ball” means, Gladu said, “down and dirty,” and that’s a pretty good description of Pembroke’s offense against Goffstown pitcher Kaylee Chouinard (seven innings, seven strikeouts, four hits, two walks), who was named a D-II First-Team All-State selection Wednesday.
The Spartans scraped together a run in the top of the third after McKaylee Loomis opened the frame with a bunt single. She was thrown out at second on a fielder’s choice from Connolly, who then stole second, went to third on a ground out and scored on, of all things, a balk.
“I knew it was (a balk), I was already going home,” Connolly said.
Pembroke pushed its lead to 2-0 with an unearned run in the fifth. Connolly (2-for-3, two runs, walk) singled and then scored all the way from first on a throwing error by Goffstown third baseman Taylor Gagnon. Connolly had just hit third when the errant ball was being thrown back into the infield, but Gladu, coaching third, didn’t hesitate sending her home.
“That kid is so speedy, I will not hesitate to send her. Ever,” Gladu said. “I don’t even think her feet touch the ground when she runs.”
While the Spartans were finding ways to score against Chouinard, the Grizzlies weren’t having any luck against Berube. The junior worked all seven innings, striking out five, allowing six hits and giving up just one unearned run.
“She pitched one ‘H’ of a game,” Connolly said. “She hit her spots better than she has all season. Her change up was just nasty today. It was great.”
Berube allowed just one base runner through the first three innings and then worked out of minor jams in the fourth and fifth. She knew she was pitching on the big stage with history at stake, but instead of letting the situation overwhelm her, she owned it.
“I felt the pressure but it didn’t get to me,” Berube said. “It made me more focused on pitching.”
She also had plenty of help from her defense, especially the two Olivias on the left side of the infield – third baseman McCarty and shortstop Langevin.
“Oh yeah, defense is definitely one of the strong suits on this team,” Berube said. “It makes things a lot easier for me.”
Goffstown finally managed a run in the bottom of the sixth. Back-to-back two-out singles from Megan Purcell (3-for-3) and Amber Davis started the trouble. It looked like Berube would escape when she induced a ground ball to second, but it took a tough hop just before reaching Rachel Denoncourt, who bobbled it for a split second and just missed getting the runner at first, which allowed a run to score.
Denoncourt then snagged a liner to end the sixth, and Berube worked a 1-2-3 seventh to send the Spartans into the great unknown.
“This was our goal, getting to the championship,” Berube said, “because we’ve never been there before.”
(Tim O’Sullivan can be reached at 369-3341 or at tosullivan@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @timosullivan20.)