Published June 24, 2021
By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
NORTH READING — In the first round of the Division 2 North state tournament on Monday, the North Reading High softball team defeated guest Marblehead 5-2 on a hot, muggy afternoon.
With that win, the third-seeded Hornets improved to 13-1 while the 14th-seeded Magicians ended the year at 8-7.
“Marblehead had a very good team,” said Hornets assistant coach Paul Greene, about their Northeastern Conference opponent. “We hit the ball well and Shea (Hanson) was able to got out of situations.”
Hanson (13-1) got the win in the circle as she was able to get the Magicians to strand 10 runners on base. She went all seven innings allowing two runs, 11 hits and no walks. The senior righty struck out eight.
The losing pitcher was Lauren Donovan who finished at 8-7. She pitched six innings allowing five runs (three earned), eight hits, no walks and she fanned three.
In the bottom of the first inning, Julia Howse had an RBI double to left field to make it 1-0 for the home team. Caitlin Reilly, who reached on an error to start the inning, scored.
Marblehead tied it up in the top of the third as Julie Quintana had a double to center field to plate Amelia Rogers as she led off the inning with a single.
In the bottom of the third, the Hornets took the lead for good as Howse had an RBI single to score Sarah Gerber who tripled to right field to lead off the inning.
North Reading then made it 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth as Caitlin Reilly had a sacrifice fly allowing Kristen Galvin, who was hit by a pitch to reach base, to score from third.
Marblehead cut the lead to one in the top of the fifth as Ashleigh Maude’s ground out to short allowed Annika Haley to score. Haley reached on a single and got to third on an error on a ball hit by Quintana.
The Hornets then plated two runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up by three. Alyssa Cassarino had an RBI single to left field and then Kaeleigh Arington delivered an RBI double a few moments later.
The Magicians threatened in the top of the seventh as they had the bases loaded with one out as Lia Bumagin, Haley and Quintana all singled.
However, Hanson got the next two batters out on a fly-out to right and a pop out to second to end the game.
The Hornets hosted Gloucester on June 23 in the quarterfinal round (results not available). The winner of that game will take on the winner of the Tewksbury- Whittier Tech game on Thursday in the semifinal round (location and time unknown as of press time).
