BURLINGTON — Ahead of her crew’s softball recreation with North Attleboro on Sunday, Burlington coach Kristen Farrell had a sense it was going to return down be a one-run choice.
Farrell’s feeling proved to be proper on the cash. Her Red Devils seized the one probability they obtained towards Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year Kelly Colleran.
Burlington took benefit of the one two walks Colleran issued to plate a pair of runs within the backside of the sixth. Red Devils ace Cece Imbimbo did the remaining as she struck out 13 to steer her crew to the Div. 2 semifinals with a 2-1 win at Marvin Field. The Red Devils (19-4) transfer on to face top-seeded Westfield within the semifinals.
“You just knew it was going to come down to a run with how the pitching was and it wasn’t going to be easy to push them across,” Farrell stated.
After hanging out 11 instances and being held to at least one hit by 5 by Colleran, it seemed just like the Red Devils had been in hassle. But when Imbimbo walked to start the underside of the sixth, the door was opened for a comeback.
Megan Ryan sacrificed Imbimbo to second and a wild pitch put her 60 ft from tying the sport. Maddie King then labored a stroll because the Red Devils plate endurance started to repay. Left fielder Shea McDonald was capable of get a fly ball simply deep sufficient to left that allowed Imbimbo to attain simply forward of Colleran’s tag on the plate.
King took third on the play and that proved to be pivotal as Colleran (12 Ok, 2 BB, 1H) uncorked a wild pitch with Katie Hayes up that allowed King to scamper dwelling with the go-ahead run.
“We kept telling the kids not to go at her pace at the plate. And that helped us to be patient and see more pitches,” Farrell stated.
Suddenly staked to a 2-1 lead, Imbimbo went to the circle within the seventh attempting to seal a win. Her eleventh and twelfth strikeouts sandwiched a Mary Ellen Charette infield single.
A success batter saved the Red Rocketeers alive and had the tying run on second base. But Imbimbo regrouped and fanned Grace Simmons swinging to finish the sport.
“Cece is one of those type of players that doesn’t come around very often,” Farrell stated. “Nothing seems to bother her. And she just wants the ball. You could see at the end that there was no way she was going to lose. She was just determined to strike her out at the end.”
North Attleboro’s lone run got here within the fourth when Colleran led off with a single, was bunted to second and scored on a Charette infield single.
Source: www.bostonherald.com