'It’s always going to be a fight': Wachusett softball turns back St. Paul in battle of best Division 1 squads
WORCESTER — The Wachusett Regional and St. Paul softball teams faced each other in three straight Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association Class A finals — the Mountaineers claimed the 2021 and 2023 titles while the Knights won the 2022 championship — and through the first couple of weeks of the 2024 season, it is apparent they are again the area’s best in Division 1.
Both teams rode four-game winning streaks into Monday afternoon’s matchup at Vernon Hill Park.
Wachusett senior starter Taylor Stuart and St. Paul junior ace Bella Mara battled, and senior Caitlin Ciccone and junior McKenzie Caron each blasted two-run homers to key a decisive third inning and lift the Mountaineers to a 6-2 victory.
“It’s always going to be a fight,” St. Paul coach Aimee Lee said. “We know that they are so talented, and every position is so solid, and their lineup is so deep. We have to play perfect every time we play them.”
Wachusett (5-0) outscored its first four opponents of the season, 68-2, and its eight hits Monday tied for the most off Mara this season. Peabody, a Division 1 state tournament semifinalist in 2023, had eight in a 4-2 opening win over the Knights.
“She’s the best pitcher we’ve seen this year,” Wachusett coach Jason Lanpher said, “and she’s tough. We had good at-bats against her, so I’m happy with that.”
Junior Shayna Bakun got the Mountaineers’ offense going in the third with Wachusett’s first hit off Mara, a one-out single up the middle. Ciccone followed with a two-run shot over the fence in left.
Three batters later, with junior Kendall Grady on first, Caron homered to straightaway center. The ball hit the top of the fence and bounced over.
“We knew Bella was throwing a lot of first-pitch strikes,” Caron said, “so when that first-pitch strike came, I timed it up and unleashed on it.”
Ciccone, Bakun and senior Tiegan Walsh each had two hits.
“We knew coming in that Bella is a great pitcher,” Ciccone said. “We knew we had to prepare. She was going to give us some good at-bats, 100%. It was just staying steady throughout the at-bat and just swinging hard at everything. We just had to stay confident.”
Stuart, who made her third start of the year, allowed seven hits and struck out 12, including the side in the first and second innings.
“Taylor did amazing,” said Caron, the Mountaineers’ catcher. “All her pitches were looking great. Her location was great.”
Mara had two hits, and senior Emma Nordahl’s two-out single in the third was the 100th of her career. The Knights celebrated Mara’s 100th career hit last week.
St. Paul (4-2) had outscored its previous four foes, 54-3.
After Wachusett’s four-run fourth, Mara retired the Mountaineers in order in the fourth.
In the bottom of the inning, Mara led off with an infield single, but Ciccone, Walsh and Bakun combined to turn a 4-6-3 double play.
Senior Mae McGowan reached on an error to start a St. Paul two-out rally. Freshman Mia Girardi was hit by a pitch, and junior Claire Murphy singled to load the bases. Sophomore Emma O’Connor drove in two runs with a single to shallow center.
“It was a true testament that this team is going to fight,” Lee said.
Ciccone led off the fifth with a single to right, but Nordahl, senior Izzy Tortora and freshman Ava Grant pulled off a 6-4-3 double play.
Girardi, in center field, capped a 1-2-3 sixth for the Knights with a nice grab of a sinking line drive.
Wachusett added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh. Bakun, with a double, and Ciccone, with a sacrifice fly, had the RBIs.
—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Wachusett softball turns back St. Paul in battle of best Division 1 squads
