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.
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.
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.”
