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Softball Photos: King Philip vs. Somerset Berkley

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Back at Full Strength, Gill Provides Power for King Philip Title Run

Ali Gill
King Philip senior Ali Gill rounds second after smoking a triple in the bottom of the third inning against Somerset Berkley in the Division 2 state championship at Polar Park. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

WORCESTER, Mass. – Going into last year’s playoffs, King Philip second baseman Ali Gill was hampered by injury. A nerve issue was causing her significant pain when she threw and arm weakness that diminished her power at the plate, which was a massive concern for a KP team reliant on her to add pop to the lineup.

This spring, her senior season, Gill was healthy throughout and the Colgate-commit delivered time and again for the top-seeded Warriors, including in Saturday’s 14-1 win over Somerset Berkley in the Div. 2 state title game at Worcester State’s Rockwood Field. She was 3-for-5 with nine total bases and four RBI in the final.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“Obviously, it’s been hard the past few years and this year I finally felt like myself again,” said Gill, who finished with 18 homers on the season. “I was happy to get out there and be able to play. Now, when I’m hitting, I feel so much stronger with my swing.”

With the game still scoreless in the third, junior Kelly Donahue and sophomore Annabelle Curran singled to bring Gill to the plate with no outs. The Warriors had missed opportunities with runners in scoring position in each of their first two at-bats and Gill, who doubled in the first, was looking to change that.

All it took was one swing of the bat to change the game. Gill turned on a pitch and lofted a ball high into the air in left field. It carried forever, landing well beyond the fence for a three-run homer that gave the Warriors (who allowed only one run in five playoff games) a crucial lead.

Fellow senior Lauren Griffin said of Gill’s homer “After everything she went through last season and before going to college––you never doubted that she was going to be successful. And big moments like this are what she’s here for.”

“And we feed off of her. Once she gets a hit, we all want to follow and get one and then we can string them together.”

It was a swing that Gill likely wouldn’t have been able to make last year and it kicked off a 13-batter, nine-run rally for the Warriors that effectively won the title. Gill added an RBI triple in her second at-bat of the inning.

“I just feel like I was going up there thinking, okay McCoy’s been pitching great, she’s let up no runs and now it’s time for me to have her back,” Gill said about her home run. Asked if she knew that it was gone when it left the bat, Gill replied, “That one I kind of did. Sometimes, I don’t know but that one I did.”

KP coach Kate Fallon added, “I called it. I’ve called a lot of her home runs this year and I kind of knew that she was going to send that one out.”

Senior pitcher McCoy Walsh, who plays with Gill on a travel team as well as for the Warriors said, “It’s awesome. Seeing what she did off the field before the season to prepare and seeing it finally being put into the game, it was just awesome. And that home run was awesome.”

When asked what Gill brings to the team, besides her obvious power at the plate, Fallon-Comeau said, “She’s the spark. She ignites the lineup. Once she does something, everyone thinks that they can do it.”

Gill knew that once KP had the lead that they would be able to put the game away. This is a team that lives off momentum and breaking the deadlock gave everyone confidence.

“I feel like once we get it going then the momentum turns our way,” she said. “Once we get some [runs] on the board, then we’ve got it now. It definitely let the girls be less stressed and just play the game.”

The Warriors knew that this was the final game for Fallon-Comeau, who announced to the team before the season that she would be retiring and, particularly for the seniors, it was a mission to send her out on top.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

With two outs in the seventh, Somerset Berkley hit a grounder to the right side. Gill charged and made the flip to classmate Lauren Griffin for the final out. It felt fitting that it was the seniors that closed out the program’s first title in a decade.

“They’ve etched their names in KP history,” Fallon-Comeau said. “I just couldn’t be happier for them. They’ve put a lot into this program. To finish with them and win a state championship, you can’t ask for more than that.”

“It’s surreal,” Gill said. “It’s just amazing. I just feel so good that we worked so hard for this and we’re finally able to do it. If you want to win one year, then you want to win it your senior year and our coach’s last year.”

Ali Gill Ali Gill Ali Gill Ali Gill

King Philip Caps Dominant Playoff Run With D2 State Title

King Philip softball
King Philip’s Kiera Lawrence, McCoy Walsh, coach Kate Comeau, Ali Gill, and Lauren Griffin celebrate after routing Somerset Berkley in the Division 2 championship at Worcester State. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

WORCESTER, Mass. – When Brooke Parent drove a ball to the fence in left field, bringing in Tatum Swanson with Somerset Berkley’s first run of Saturday afternoon’s Div. 2 final at Worcester State’s Rockwood Field, the response from the King Philip supporters was less concern than surprise.

The Warriors rolled through the postseason. Going into the sixth inning of the final, KP had outscored its five tournament opponents 59-0. The Raiders were the only team to score off KP’s senior standout McCoy Walsh.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Of course, it mattered very little to the final result.

King Philip (22-5) had already done its damage, sending 13 batters to the plate and scoring nine runs in a game-deciding, third-inning rally and they cruised to a 14-1 victory that secured the program’s first state title since 2016, set a record for most runs scored in a state title game, and earned the first D2 title for any Hockomock League team (by contrast, the Hock has won 12 of the last 16 D1 championships, including KP in 2010, 2011, and 2016).

The win was especially emotional for head coach Kate Fallon-Comeau, who announced before the season that she would be retiring. Now, she was able to go out on top.

“When I told them at the beginning of the year this is going to be my last year, it’s just all that the seniors had on their minds is let’s get this done,” Fallon-Comeau said. “They worked hard for it because in April I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to climb that mountain. I’m really proud of them.”

“It feels great,” said Walsh. “We’ve all worked for it. We’ve always talked about it, but now that it’s actually happened, it’s just awesome because we always said we wanted to win.”

Senior first baseman Lauren Griffin added, “All of our preseason talk was wanting to stay in the moment and have a competitive season, and the strength of the schedule we had, we were ready. It just feels like the cherry on top of an incredible season with all these girls.”

Somerset Berkley, which had already knocked off two Hock teams (North Attleboro and Stoughton) on the way to the final, had a decent scoring chance in the first. Catcher Samantha Comeau doubled to left and moved to third on a passed ball, but Walsh got a pop up to second and her first strikeout of the night to end the threat.

The Raiders had an even better chance to shock the top seed in the third. Madison Bednarz, the No. 9 hitter, singled but was forced out at second. Comeau (2-for-4) followed with a hit and moved up into scoring position on the throw. With runners at second and third and one out, Walsh got back-to-back Ks to escape the jam.

“I mean it did feel like pressure a little bit,” Walsh said of the early base runners. “And then I had the girls behind me supporting me, and it was just about kind of trusting myself a little bit more because earlier in the game I think I wasn’t. And I think having that confidence helped.”

KP showed its potential at the plate in the second. Griffin ripped a single to right center and freshman Emma Flaherty followed with a hard-hit line drive that was right at the second baseman. Sophomore Cheyenne Murray hit a fly ball to deep center that was hauled in a couple feet in front of the fence.

In the third, the Warriors exploded. Junior Kelly Donahue (2-for-3) beat out an infield hit and sophomore Annabelle Curran (3-for-5) drilled a single to left. That brought up senior Ali Gill (3-for-5). The team’s top power hitter came through once again, drilling a pitch over the fence in left for a three-run homer.

Sophomore Reegan Durden kept things moving with a single and Liv Wainwright (2-for-5), who only recently returned to the lineup after an injury, had an infield hit. Both moved up on a wild pitch. Griffin (2-for-3) and Flaherty had consecutive grounders to second, both driving in runs to extend the lead to 5-0.

Even with two outs, the Warriors were just getting started. Murray aggressively turned a hit to shallow right into a double. Junior Bailey Cederbaum reached on an error (with freshman Lexie Davis stepping in as the courtesy runner) and another error on Donahue’s grounder brought in a pair of runs.

Curran would add another run when she doubled to left center. Gill came up for the second time in the inning and added another extra base hit when she ripped a ball into the gap in right center and sped around for a triple.

After the dust settled, KP was up 9-0 and had one hand on the title.

“Kind of just relief, definitely,” Walsh said about going back to the circle with a big lead. “And it’s so fun to watch because everyone’s hitting. But it definitely helps me get through the games.”

Walsh scattered eight hits in seven innings and struck out 11. She had multiple strikeouts in each of the second, third, fourth, and fifth innings.

“So much easier,” Griffin said about playing defense behind Walsh. “When she’s on the mound, I feel like everybody just knows that she has us but we also want her to know we’re going to have her back. So many strikeouts––it takes the pressure off us.”

Not that KP needed more with Walsh pitching so well, but the Warriors tacked on four runs in the fourth. Wainwright, Griffin, and Flaherty had consecutive singles, with the freshman picking up an RBI. With two outs, Donahue delivered again, this time driving in a pair with a base hit to center. Curran followed with her second RBI double in as many innings.

Swanson led off the sixth with a single and moved up on a sac bunt by Sophia Thornton. After another Walsh strikeout (her 10th of the day, giving her double-digit Ks in all five playoff games), Parent turned on a two-strike pitch and hit a double to the fence in left.

Fallon-Comeau joked about being mad that the Warriors ruined their shutout streak in the final. Asked about how impressive it is to allow only one run in five games, she said, “It just speaks volumes about them and their resiliency and just the mission they had coming in. They wanted to be very stingy and they obviously were.”

KP immediately got the run back. Cederbaum dropped a hit just in front of the center fielder and Donahue walked (reaching base for the fourth time in the game). Curran pulled a ball down the first base line that wasn’t fielded cleanly and made it 14-1. With her third run scored of the day, Donahue tied the record for most runs in a state title game.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

With two outs in the seventh, Walsh induced a grounder to the right side. Gill charged and flipped to her classmate Griffin at first, just beating the runner and starting the championship celebrations.

“It’s surreal,” Gill said after the game. “It’s just amazing. I just feel so good that we worked so hard for this and we’re finally able to do it. If you want to win one year, then you want to win it your senior year and our coach’s last year.”

Fallon-Comeau was especially proud of going out on top with her senior class. She explained, “They’ve etched their names in KP history. I just couldn’t be happier for them. They’ve put a lot into this program. To finish with them and win a state championship, you can’t ask for more than that.”

King Philip Softball King Philip Softball King Philip Softball King Philip Softball King Philip Softball McCoy Walsh McCoy Walsh McCoy Walsh McCoy Walsh McCoy Walsh Kate Comeau Kate Comeau Kate Comeau Kate Comeau

Softball Photos: Taunton vs. Attleboro

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Corrao Sets the Table for Another Taunton State Title

Victoria Corrao Tori Corrao
Taunton senior Victoria Corrao was all smiles after hitting a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game in the Division 1 state championship against Attleboro at Worcester State. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

WORCESTER, Mass. – Heading into the bottom of the fourth in Saturday evening’s Div. 1 state title game at Worcester State’s Rockwood Field, Taunton (24-1) trailed league rival Attleboro (18-7) by a run. The Tigers trailed by five runs before they even stepped to the plate, had clawed back to go in front, and the Bombardiers had just regained the lead.

Senior Victoria Corrao stepped to the plate to start the inning. On a 1-1 count, Corrao turned on a pitch and lifted one to deep right. The ball carried over the fence and off one of the porta potties for a game-tying homer.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

It was the second of three hits from the Taunton leadoff hitter and her third run scored in the game, which tied a record for the most runs by an individual in a state title game (which was also tied on Saturday by Taunton junior Bella Bourque and King Philip junior Kelly Donahue).

Corrao was the spark plug at the top of the order, helping Taunton come from behind twice to secure an 11-8 win (which also set a record for most combined runs in a final) and the program’s sixth straight state title.

“Absolutely amazing,” said Corrao while clutching the state championship trophy after the game. “We worked so, so, so, so hard and it definitely felt like a little bit of pressure but we knew we could handle it.”

The pressure comes from trying to avoid being the team that ends Taunton’s streak. The Tigers have only lost once in the past three years and haven’t lost to an in-state opponent since a loss to KP in 2023. They are now one championship away from matching Bishop Fenwick’s run of seven straight from 1990-1996.

How do the Tigers avoid being overwhelmed by trying to continue this run?

“We have fun,” Corrao explained. “The key is literally having fun. We have fun on the field, we talk, we don’t let anyone get down on themselves. I mean, yeah we get a little frustrated at some moments, but we pick each other up. We’re a family.”

In a lineup as loaded with talent as Taunton’s, Corrao’s role at the top of the order can sometimes fly under the radar, but with her and classmate Mia Torres putting pressure on the opposition it creates opportunities for others to drive in runs.

“She just keeps battling,” said Taunton coach Michelle Raposo about Corrao. “She works hard in the cage, saying what can I do to fix my swing, what can I do for a slap? I said, just stop thinking and just go out there and compete. You’re a great hitter and a great player, just put the ball in play and you’ll get on.”

On Saturday, Attleboro jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first, but Corrao had an instant response. She drilled a line drive into the gap in right center and raced around for a triple that gave the Tigers a much-needed spark. She scored Taunton’s first run after an error.

In the second, Corrao again led off and worked a walk. She scored on Bourque’s home run to center that gave Taunton its first lead of the game. Two innings later, she got a homer of her own.

“I mean, that felt amazing,” Corrao said, smile stretching from ear-to-ear. “I didn’t doubt us. The first inning was definitely, yeah this is going to be tough, but I knew we could pull through.”

Corrao added a bunt single in the fifth inning, getting on base for the fourth time in the game.

“I feel like it’s pretty important,” she said about her role. “I think starting it off, everyone’s energy comes from that but even if I don’t start it off with a home run or a bunt or whatever then they all have my back. I have Mia and Bella behind me and it just goes on down the lineup.”

This was a transition year for the UMass Dartmouth-commit, who moved from right field to second base before the season, filling in for an injury. Alongside Bourque at shortstop, it was a completely new middle of the infield for the Tigers, but one that quickly gelled.

“She’s just a happy-go-lucky kid and she just wants to compete” Raposo said. “Moving from the outfield, we tested a few kids and she seemed like the most seamless possibility and she’s taken on that role and her and Bella have worked so hard. They both worked really hard at finding their space.”

“I’m so happy and thrilled for her that she produced in this game because she was feeling like she hadn’t been. She’s just a great kid.”

On the final play of the game, Bourque fielded a grounder and flipped to second. After delivering time and again on the biggest stage, Corrao ended the game and her Taunton career with the ball in her glove and another title to celebrate.

Victoria Corrao Victoria Corrao Victoria Corrao Victoria Corrao Tori Corrao Tori Corrao Tori Corrao Tori Corrao

Taunton Wins Slugfest with Attleboro to Secure Sixth Straight Title

Taunton softball Gracie Oliveira
Taunton senior Gracie Oliveira (17) and the rest of the Tigers celebrate after winning the 2026 Division 1 state championship at Worcester State. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSpots.com)

By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

WORCESTER, Mass. – It’s always difficult to beat a team three times in a season. That was the challenge facing Taunton (24-1) in Saturday evening’s Div. 1 state title game at Worcester State’s Rockwood Field. If the Tigers were going to extend their championship streak, they were going to have to find a way past league rival Attleboro (18-7).

With some of the state’s most feared hitters in both lineups, the final promised plenty of fireworks and the teams delivered what turned out to be a historic display of power.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Taunton came from behind twice, scored four runs in an inning twice, and outlasted Attleboro 11-8 to win the program’s sixth consecutive state title.

It was a game for the record books. The 19 combined runs is the most scored in a state title game. Taunton senior Victoria Corrao and junior Bella Bourque both tied the state title game record with three runs scored. The Tigers are now one title away from Bishop Fenwick’s record seven in a row (from 1990-1996) and have lost only one game in the past three seasons.

“We knew coming into this game that it was going to be a hard one,” said senior Gracie Oliveira, who has been part of five titles in her career. “We needed to start hitting, we needed to have some good defense, and that’s exactly what we did. It just feels amazing. I have like a tingling feeling. It’s going to be a memorable one for sure.”

“It feels amazing to get a win against a good team and especially such a great game to go out with a bang.”

Taunton coach Michelle Raposo said, “Just proud of them for staying team. Even early in the game, some uncharacteristic little flubs but they threw it in the dirt, they responded with four runs in the bottom of the first, and I just knew the fire was going to be there. Just keep battling and that’s their number one thing.”

Attleboro got off to the perfect start. Senior Jenna Callahan led off with a line drive single to center and freshman catcher Rayna Bennett walked. Junior Lola Ronayne was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs.

Junior Savannah Boedecker hit a grounder to the left side. Taunton tried to get the runner at third but couldn’t hold on, so everyone was safe. On the next play, Sophie Borges hit a grounder to short. Bourque tried to come home with it but the throw was not in time and Bennett slid in to make it 2-0.

Sophomore Kaylee Magnan kept things going with an RBI groundouit and classmate Avery Graziosi delivered the big hit with a double off the tip of left fielder Jay Gagnon’s glove, bringing in a pair.

Momentum didn’t last long. Taunton’s lineup answered immediately.

Corrao got things started with a triple to the gap in right center. A throwing error on a bunt by senior Mia Torres got Taunton on the board. Bourque lined a single to right that scored Torres and junior Aniyah Bailey drew a walk. Another bunt led to another error and junior Ashlyn Hebert drove in Taunton’s fourth run with a fielder’s choice.

When junior Grace Simmons flew out to center to end the first inning, the teams had combined to send 18 batters to the plate and score nine runs.

“We just keep each other up 24/7,” Oliveira said about the Tigers answering after a tough top of the first. “We never let anyone get down. After a hard at-bat, we’re always in each other’s faces like, ‘Hey, next at-bat, you’re good. Let’s get it back in the field.’ So we’re always having each other’s back, bringing that energy.”

Taunton took its first lead in the second. Corrao started it with a walk. With one out, Bourque, the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year, drilled a line drive over the fence and off a flagpole in straightaway center to put the Tigers up 6-5.

After a breather in the third, the scoring continued in the fourth. Senior Nina Sullivan, the No. 9 hitter, punched a single into center to lead things off for the Bombardiers. After a pair of hard hit line drive outs, and facing an 0-2 count, Ronayne smashed a two-run homer well beyond the fence in dead center to put Attleboro back up by a run.

“If you have not seen them before, and you get into a fight like this with them, I can see why teams would fall apart,” Attleboro coach Mark Homer said about his team’s response to the Taunton comeback. “This is the third time that we have hit them. We knew we had the ability to do it, so none of that stuff bothered us. We knew it was going to be a fight.”

Corrao wasted no time getting that back as she drilled a leadoff homer over the fence and off a porta potty in right. With two outs, Bailey kept the inning alive on a single to center. Oliveira followed with a base hit and Hebert hit a hard grounder that slipped through into center.

With two runners in scoring position, Gagnon lined a double down the line in left, driving in a pair. Callahan cut off the throw to the plate from Borges and was able to get Gagnon trying to stretch it into a triple, ending the inning but only after Tigers scored four runs and led 10-7.

Attleboro got one back in the fifth. Borges (2-for-4) led off with a single and stole second. Magnan then reached on an error, which allowed Borges to come home. Bailey made a nice play up against the fence on a pop up behind the plate and Bourque held onto a pop up to end the inning.

Taunton got the run back in the sixth. Bourque reached on an error, racing all the way to third on the play, and then Oliveira reached on a miscue as well. Graziosi snared a line drive and made a perfect throw across the diamond to double up the runner at first and Gagnon’s sharp liner was knocked down in the circle by Ronayne (who took over in the fifth) and she made the play for the last out.

Borges singled to start the seventh, giving Attleboro some hope, but eighth grader Ella Parece, who threw 6-2/3 innings after taking over from Simmons in the first, got her fifth strikeout of the night, a pop up to Bailey at the plate, and a ground ball to finish it.

“This one was definitely special,” Bourque said about her fourth straight title. “Ella Parece is amazing. I have no words. She was composed, she didn’t let anything rattle her, she was amazing on the mound. She held us together.”

Attleboro was making its first state title game appearance. Ten years ago, the Bombardiers won only two games and now they are among the state’s elite. While Saturday’s result was disappointing, Homer was thrilled at the progress of the program.

“I think leadership was the most important thing this year,” he said. “When you get into tight, tight games like this, the younger players, the more inexperienced players, they look to the leadership of the team, and we had that this year.”

“Like I told the girls, this group has cut a path for the next group coming in. We have been here now––we are going to come back again. This is not the end of the story.”

When Bourque flipped to Corrao at second for the final out of the game, the Tigers mobbed each other on the mound while the coaches shared a moment just in front of the dugout. Over the six years of this softball dynasty, this was in many ways the toughest title to win.

“They were a team all year long,” Raposo said. “They relied on each other all season. They knew they were going to pass the bat offensively and just pick each other up.

Asked about what makes the Tigers come back year after year without being satisfied with their past success, Raposo (who won back-to-back titles as a player at Taunton) replied, “They just want to perfect everything and they want to be better and they want to be there for their teammates. They have to believe in that stuff and the girls that I’ve had the pleasure of coaching over these four years have everything that it takes to create that culture.”

Taunton Softball Taunton Softball Taunton Softball Taunton Softball Taunton Softball Gracie Oliveira Gracie Oliveira Gracie Oliveira Gracie Oliveira Gracie Oliveira

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 06/13/26

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Baseball Photos: King Philip vs. Milton

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Crowning Achievement: King Philip Claims First-Ever State Championship

King Philip baseball
King Philip secured its first-ever state championship after beating Milton at Polar Park in Worcester. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

By Jason Cooke || ValleySportsDaily Editor

WORCESTER, Mass. — Matt Labriola always believed he could do it.

Standing on the mound at Polar Park may have seemed like a fever dream for a subvarsity pitcher last season who was trying to earn his stripes in the varsity ranks one day.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Labriola put his head down. And fast forward a year later, the junior ace pitched No. 11 King Philip to its first state championship in program history as the Warriors defeated No. 4 Milton 4-1 at Polar Park on Friday night in the Division 2 state final.

“You got to believe it from the start,” Labriola said. “From day one. You got to know you’re going to come back next year a bigger dog than you were last year.”

Labriola’s numbers in three postseason starts are video game-like. After registering 25 strikeouts over 13 scoreless innings in his first two starts, Labriola got the ball on the big stage and capped off a memorable tournament run with a 6.2-inning gem that yielded five strikeouts and only four hits.

He faced all but one Milton batter after reaching his pitch limit in the seventh inning, when Jacoby Cady forced a ground ball to record the final out.

“He was electric,” King Philip head coach Jeff Plympton Jr. said of Labriola. “Coming into the season, he’s only gotten better, and we wanted no one else on the mound today than Matty.”

King Philip (17-8) downed No. 22 Doherty (3-0), No. 27 Canton (17-4), No. 3 Reading (1-0) and No. 7 Longmeadow (5-4) en route to Friday’s final against a familiar foe.

The Warriors fell to Milton in the state championship game in 2022 and 2023, making Friday’s win that much more special.

“I came in six years ago, and we had this goal,” Plympton Jr. said. “My past teams have done a great job. This team executed, and it feels fantastic.”

After taking an early 2-0 lead, important insurance runs in the sixth provided the Warriors with a favorable cushion in the late innings. An RBI single from Cooper Sisti set the table for Nick Broughton to get hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Labriola shut the door from there.

“It’s perfect,” Labriola said of the win. “Baseball always finds a way to give you those amazing moments. And it’s just amazing.”

King Philip got its bats — and situational baserunning — going early. After Broughton notched an infield single to lead off the game, Thomas Lutfy batted him in on a hard-hit single up the middle to open the scoring.

And after Brady Herlin reached safely on an error, the Warriors dipped into their bag of tricks with runners on the corners. Herlin intentionally forced himself into a rundown while attempting to swipe second base, allowing Lutfy to sneak home in an exciting sequence that provided King Philip with an early 1-0 lead.

“We have good baserunners,” Plympton Jr. said. “We like to cause a little chaos. You never know what’s going to happen in high school baseball.”

Milton positioned runners on first and second in the home half with a chance to respond, but Labriola dug deep with a crucial strikeout to escape the jam and nix an early threat.

The Wildcats didn’t squander another situation with runners in scoring position, though. Labriola made a heads-up play to land a force out at third on a bunt with runners on first and second, but Jack Naughton dumped a one-run single into the outfield grass to cut King Philip’s lead in half after the first two frames.

After that, Labriola found his groove.

The junior retired the side in the third — capped off by a strikeout — before sending Milton down in order again in the fourth with a trio of flyouts. He then registered a pair of punchouts in the fifth as Milton’s Ryan Kelly was just as strong on the bump to keep King Philip at bay.

That was until the sixth inning.

King Philip’s first three runners reached safely — Cady walked and was thrown out at second on a bunt from Herlin — and eventually had runners on second and third when Herlin swiped second, and Alex Labell worked a walk.

Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch, allowing Sisti to squeeze a grounder between the third baseman and the shortstop to score a run.

It didn’t stop there. Collin Hasenfus and Broughton were each hit by a pitch — Broughton was struck with the bases loaded — as King Philip took a 4-1 edge.

Labriola received an assist from his defense — especially Johnny Prater — in the home half. Tracking a well-hit ball all the way to the warning track in center field, Prater leaped and made an over-the-shoulder grab for the first out. He showcased his speed yet again, flashing his leather on the run to prevent Milton’s Peter Buckley from splitting the right field gap.

“You can pitch with such less stress when you know the boys behind you are going to make the plays,” Labriola said. “It just makes you pitch with so much less stress.”

Labriola finishes his breakout season with only eight earned runs in 61.2 innings, racking up 96 strikeouts.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“We knew coming into the season that he’s a great pitcher,” Plympton Jr. said. “Someone like him, you’d think he’d be up last year, but we had a stacked pitching staff…He just improved every single game.”

And so did King Philip, all the way to the top of the baseball mountain, with gloves flying into the night in Worcester.

“A lot of tradition, and a lot of pride,” Plympton Jr. said of King Philip. “Some great coaches in the past and great players. We’re doing it for everybody. We hope we made the tri-town happy.”

Jason Cooke is the editor of Valley Sports Daily – a sister site of HockomockSports.com. You can contact him at Jason@valleysportsdaily.com and follow him on Twitter at @cookejournalism.

King Philip baseball King Philip baseball King Philip baseball King Philip baseball Matt Labriola Matt Labriola Matt Labriola Matt Labriola