Softball season recap: A shocking upset, a program-best season and more
Concord celebrates around Sarah Taylor (8) after her walkoff RBI groundout gave the Crimson Tide a 1-0 win over Spaulding on May 17. The Tide’s attempt to defend last year’s Division I state championship fell victim to a first-round upset. Chip Griffin / Photos by Chip
ABOVE: Bow freshman Taylor Ouellette delivers a pitch for the Falcons during the D-II semifinals against Coe-Brown on June 4. Chip Griffin / Photos by Chip
Coe-Brown celebrates around sophomore pitcher Kylie Bienek after her no-hitter in the Division II softball semifinals on June 4. Chip Griffin / Photos by Chip
Merrimack Valley right fielder Ryleigh Perry beats out a throw against Hollis-Brookline on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. Perry went on to score. GEOFF FORESTER
RIGHT: Bishop Brady baserunner Payton Bryson celebrates after scoring an insurance run against Conant on May 29. GEOFF FORESTER / Monitor staff
While no area softball teams won state titles this spring, there was no shortage of noteworthy storylines. Concord was stunned by a double-digit seed in the first round of the playoffs, while Bow turned in its best season in program history and Coe-Brown narrowly missed pulling off a three-peat.
Here’s a recap of the area softball teams from the season:
Record: 15-4 (lost to No. 14 Portsmouth in first round of D-I playoffs).
Seniors graduating: Delaney Duford, Alison Dupuis, Lily Hackett, Sarah Taylor, Maddy Wachter.
Defending its state championship was top of mind for the Crimson Tide all season. But after a 13-1 start, Concord’s offense faltered.
The Tide finished the regular season 2-2 over its final four regular-season games and scored just six runs combined over that stretch. Then in the first round against No. 14 Portsmouth, the bats stayed silent in a shocking 1-0 loss.
Concord now graduates most of the remaining core from last year’s championship team, so head coach Duke Sawyer will be looking to some new faces to fill the void the Class of 2024’s departure will leave behind.
Record: 14-6 (lost to No. 1 Coe-Brown in D-II semifinals).
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Seniors graduating: Emma Kelly, Ella Roos, Lilly Wright.
With eight freshmen on the roster and a new head coach in Cassidy Emerson taking over, perhaps 2024 wasn’t the season to project that the Falcons would have their best year in program history. Bow reached the semifinals for the first time and laid a solid foundation to continue to grow the program.
The Falcons jumped out to an 8-1 start to the season and subsequently overcame a 1-4 stretch to win three in a row to close out their schedule. Then in the playoffs, they took down No. 12 Lebanon and No. 4 ConVal before falling to top-seeded Coe-Brown.
Record: 17-2 (lost to No. 3 Oyster River in D-II championship).
Seniors graduating: Annie Jerome, Saere McGuinness, Kiley Murphy, Jayden Porter, Judi Quinney.
The Bears’ season began with a 5-1 loss to rival Oyster River before they rattled off 17 straight wins on their way to their third straight state championship game appearance. But once again the Bobcats stood in their way, knocking them off in a 3-2 extra-inning loss.
Even still, Coe-Brown lost its top pitcher, starting catcher, shortstop and center fielder from last year’s team, so nearly winning another championship speaks volumes about the depth of head coach Dave Allis’ program.
Record: 5-13 (lost to No. 4 ConVal in first round of D-II playoffs).
Seniors graduating: Sophie Diamond, Edie Fischer, Eva Grolljahn, Alex Savaria, Noelle Shelly.
The Generals — a team that played in the D-II semifinals last season — struggled to start the year, posting an 0-10 record and allowing an average of over 14 runs per game. But over their final seven contests, John Stark finished 5-2, enough to snag the 13th and final playoff berth.
The team ultimately fell short in that first game, 4-1 against No. 4 ConVal, but the late-season surge could give the program momentum and renewed confidence entering next season.
Record: 11-7 (lost to No. 3 Oyster River in D-II quarterfinals).
Seniors graduating: Addison Allen, Julia Herrmann, Olivia Seeley.
Head coach Kevin O’Brien and his team had four goals entering the season: Win 10 games, make the playoffs, host a playoff game and win a playoff game. They accomplished all four.
Catapulted by a midseason stretch winning six of seven games, the Pride replaced the sour taste of last year’s home playoff loss with a first-round 9-3 victory over No. 11 Hanover. MV lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Oyster River, but there was little for the Pride to not be pleased with looking back at the season as a whole.
Record: 4-12 (14th out of 19 in D-II).
Seniors graduating: Jaylin Gibbs, Taylor Renna.
With a younger team and new head coach, the Spartans took a step back after reaching the playoffs last year. Pembroke began the year 1-9 before splitting its final six games.
Most of the group is expected to return next season, so the Spartans should be able to build off the lessons learned in 2024.
Record: 7-12 (lost to No. 4 Gilford in first round of D-III playoffs).
Seniors graduating: Abbi Paquette, Darci Stone, Avery VonKadich.
The Red Raiders grabbed one of the final playoff spots in Division III and pushed No. 4 Gilford in a narrow 2-0 loss.
Overall, Belmont slipped a bit after a 5-4 start, losing seven of its final nine regular-season contests.
Record: 13-5 (lost to No. 4 Gilford in D-III quarterfinals).
Seniors graduating: Kylee Potter, Mia Wagner.
In his third year at the helm of the program, head coach Shane Barron finally got the Giants over the hump and into the playoffs.
They won their first-round playoff game, 6-4 over No. 12 Conant, before a narrow 4-3 defeat against Gilford. Brady more than doubled its victory total from last year’s six-win team.
With just two seniors departing, Bishop Brady looks well-positioned to compete near the top of Division III entering next season.
Record: 5-11 (T-14th out of 20 in D-III).
Seniors graduating: Claire Doyle, Abigail Benn, Erin McGillicuddy.
The Hillcats finished narrowly outside the playoff picture after tiebreakers, even after rallying a bit following an 0-4 start to the season. Hillsboro-Deering won two of its final three games, but a 15-7 loss against Monadnock at the end of schedule ultimately kept the Hillcats from reaching the postseason.
Record: 10-8 (lost to No. 1 Newport in D-III quarterfinals).
Seniors graduating: Ally Duval, Steph Elrick, Lizz Holmes.
Considering the Hawks began the season 1-5, their final record of 10-8 becomes all the more impressive. Under first-year head coach Liz Kovar, Hopkinton turned the page by the start of May, stacking up eight wins over its final nine games.
The team also knocked off No. 9 Berlin, 7-3, in the first round of the playoffs.
Record: 2-14 (T-18th out of 20 in D-III).
Seniors graduating: Gia Crandall, Terra LeBlanc.
The Cougars’ pitching struggled all season, allowing more than 10 runs in 12 of their 16 games and an average of nearly 14 runs per game. Both Kearsarge wins came against Mascoma, 20-6 on April 18 and 18-4 on May 8.
Record: 3-13 (T-16th out of 20 in D-III).
Seniors graduating: Lucy Prunier.
Similar to Kearsarge, the Bears had trouble keeping opponents off the scoreboard this season, allowing more than nine runs per game. However, Winnisquam did beat Kearsarge, 20-2, to open the season. The Bears’ other two wins came over Mascoma, 28-9 on May 1, and White Mountains, 3-2 on May 10.
Record: 7-10 (lost to No. 5 Pittsfield in first round of D-IV playoffs).
Seniors graduating: Savannah McPhail, Lizzie St. Cyr, Olivia Sylvester.
The 2024 season carried lots of emotion for the Golden Tornadoes. On May 16, they hosted a Strike Out Cancer fundraiser to support Abby Cornell, the mother of freshman pitcher Lily Cornell, who’s battling brain cancer. The event raised $5,000, far surpassing their goal of $1,000.
Lily Cornell also picked up her 500th career strikeout in that game, a loss to Newmarket, and Franklin later clinched the program’s first playoff appearance in eight years.
The team lost to Pittsfield in the first round, but beyond wins and losses, the season fostered a deep sense of community and support around the Cornell family.
Record: 14-4 (lost to No. 4 Mascenic in D-IV quarterfinals).
Seniors graduating: Tiffany Boucher, Jadin Weygand, Sam Carney, Emma Baker.
Last season, after winning 13 regular-season games, Pittsfield was upset by No. 13 Epping in the first round of the D-IV playoffs. This season, after winning 13 regular-season games, the Panthers flipped the script, taking down No. 12 Franklin, 7-2.
They saw their season end at the hands of No. 4 Mascenic in a 2-0 quarterfinal loss, but 2024 was another strong year for the Panthers on the softball diamond.
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