Defending Div. 3 state champion GNB Voc-Tech opens 2023 tournament with lopsided win

NEW BEDFORD — It's the most wonderful time of the year for the GNB Voc-Tech softball team.

The state tournament is here, and the No. 10 Bears took a good first step in defense of their 2022 Div. 3 state championship with a 13-1 win over No. 23 Tantasqua in the Round of 32 on Monday. The game was called in the bottom of the fifth inning because of the 12-run differential rule.

"We played well down the stretch in the regular season and we always wake up for the playoffs," said junior third baseman Ana Tsonis, who had two hits and four runs batted in, with three coming on a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. "Our bats are coming to life and we're peaking at the right time. This is when it really matters and we're playing some of our best softball of the season. Our goal right now is to win another state championship."

Senior left-hander Hayleigh Silva tossed a four-hitter with five strikeouts and no walks for the Bears. She got off to a solid start with an 11-pitch first inning and got stronger as the game went on. In total, she made a neat and tidy 63 pitches — 43 strikes and 20 balls.

"She's been solid all season. She's our anchor out there," GNB Voc-Tech head coach Craig Soares said. "She did a great job mixing her pitches and moving the ball around. When she hits her spots, she's tough. It also helps that she knows her teammates are going to make the plays in the field behind her. She has a lot of experience on the mound, she's pitched in a lot of big games, and she has a lot of confidence out there."

With Silva in her first full season as a starter on the mound, the Bears are a very different team from a year ago. They had to replace super-steady shortstop Kylee Caetano (.600 with a school-record 61 hits), who was named The Standard-Times Softball Player of the Year, hard-hitting catcher Lena Tsonis (.500 with 46 RBIs and a school-record 12 home runs), and starting pitcher Madison Medeiros (25-2, 1.50 earned-run average).

Tsonis and Medeiros were both named to The Standard-Times Super Team last season, along with Silva, who was picked for her play at first base.

"We lost some really good players to graduation, but we returned six starters," Ana Tsonis said. "We've had some ups and downs, but we still have a lot of experience, and we have players who know how to rise to the occasion. We know what it's like to play in big games."

The Bears successfully defended their State Large-School Vocational championship and Soares has confidence the team will make another strong showing in the state tournament.

"I was very happy with how we played today," Soares said. "We hit the ball when we needed to and we ran the bases well. Our pitching has been there all season and we're looking to have some fun and take things one game at a time. It's one and done the rest of the way, so we have to keep our focus and be ready to play every time we take the field."

WHAT IT MEANS: The Bears, who improved to 15-9, will take on No. 7 Triton Regional (17-4) in a 4 p.m. Round of 16 matchup on Wednesday at a site to be announced. The Vikings advanced with a 10-9 Round of 32 win over No. 26 Essex North Shore on Sunday. ... Tantasqua finished the season with a 10-11 record.

HOW IT HAPPENED: The Bears grabbed a quick 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a three-run homer by Tsonis. They added a pair of unearned runs in the second to stretch their lead to 5-1, and they exploded for eight runs on three hits, five walks, and two Tantasqua errors in the fifth.

TANTASQUA STATS: Right-hander Kayleigh Schneider finished with a five-hitter, two strikeouts, and 10 walks. She threw 10 straight balls before tossing a strike in the bottom of the first inning and finished with 145 total pitches. She needed 64 pitches to get through the first two innings — one more than Silva threw for the whole game — and she finished up with 49 pitches in the bottom of the fifth. All in all, she threw 76 balls and 69 strikes. ... Second baseman Julie Anne Petersen knocked in the Warriors' run with a leadoff homer to center field in the top of the second. ... The Warriors also got hits from leadoff hitter/shortstop Alexis Taudel, designated player Paige Rosen, and third baseman Elyse Genaway. ... The Warriors made four errors and they did not have a stolen base.

GNB VOC-TECH STATS: Senior shortstop Hailey Soares had two hits in the fifth inning — a leadoff infield hit and a run-scoring single that gave the Bears an 11-1 lead. ... Junior second baseman Ava Neno knocked in the Bears' final two runs with a single in the fifth inning that ended the game. ... Silva, who reached on a single in the fourth inning, added a pair of stolen bases. ... Four other Bears had steals — senior catcher Savannah Dubois, junior right fielder Genesis Nunes, Soares, and Neno. ... The Bears made two errors.

TANTASQUA HEAD COACH PETE CASINE: "We came down knowing we were going up against a good team and a good program. They're well coached and they have a lot of talented kids who know how to play the game."

NOTES: Neno made a nice catch on a low liner at second base that she turned into a 4-3 double play to end the top of the fourth inning. ... Silva was thrown out at third base on a delayed steal to end the bottom of the fourth. ... Soares turned on the jets to beat out a grounder to shortstop for an infield hit leading off the bottom of the fifth for the Bears. ... There were spotty showers throughout the game and the sun poked its nose out for a bit in the bottom of the fifth inning. ... The Warriors play in the Southern Worcester County League with Auburn, Bartlett, David Prouty, Grafton, Leicester, Millbury, Northbridge, Oxford, Quaboag, Sturbridge and Oxbridge. ... Tantasqua serves the towns of Brimfield, Brookfield, Holland, Sturbridge and Wales. ... The Warriors traveled an hour and 40 minutes in a school bus to reach the game. ... Fans were wrapped up in blankets and some were seen wearing winter coats and hats. ... Steve Cabral worked the bases and Joe Argo called the balls and strikes behind the plate. Argo also worked the plate last season when Tantasqua notched a 14-6 Div. 3 Round of 32 win at Apponequet. ... It was 190 feet to clear the fence in left field and center field, and 205 feet in right field.

BOYS LACROSSE Apponequet beats Fairhaven in Div. 3 playoffs for 13th straight win

GNB VOC-TECH 13, TANTASQUA 1, 5 innings

Tantasqua 010 00 — 1

GNB Voc-Tech 320 08 — 13

WP: Hayleigh Silva (15-9); LP: Katelyn Schneider (10-11)

HRs: Julie Anne Petersen (T); Ana Tsonis (VT)

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: GNB Voc-Tech softball opens 2023 Div. 3 playoffs by beating Tantasqua