Behind Boston Herald all-scholastic pitcher Cece Imbimbo, Burlington finds itself in contention for a Div. 2 state title as the Red Devils enter the final quarter of the season with a 13-2 record and the No. 4 seed in the latest MIAA Power Rankings.
“Our goal is to win games in the state tournament, but we’re still figuring things out,” Burlington coach Kristin Farrell said. “When our pitching is playing at a high level we have to come through and be better offensively.”
When Imbimbo is on the mound the Red Devils defense has been mostly able to breath easy. The senior is averaging double-digit strikeouts, has thrown consecutive no-hitters, and fanned 20 on Tuesday in a win over Watertown. Third baseman Cassidy Soohoo, second baseman Madison King, and center fielder Morgan Ryan are at the center of the Red Devils lineup while Shea McDonald has turned into the leadoff hitter after not starting a season ago.
Freshman Izzy Ortiz has provided heroics including a walk-off hit against Arlington in an extra innings thriller.
“Shea has really stepped up this year. She originally was batting fifth pretty consistently and now we have moved her up to the leadoff spot,” Farrell said. “She has been seeing the ball so well and really helped change our lineup.”
The Red Devils’ two losses came in valiant efforts against strong competition. A week ago they lost a heartbreaking 2-1 game to defending Div. 2 champion Westfield and then on Monday they were blanked 3-0 by Div. 1 contender Central Catholic. Farrell, however, believes her group can compete with the premier groups in Massachusetts.
“Our focus is to keep getting better,” Farrell said. “It’s hard sometimes because for the most part we’ve been winning games but we have something new to improve on every day and they’re working on that at practice.”
Andover sophomore left-hander Chris Jaillet enters the middle of May with a 4-0 record and a 0.00 ERA. Over 25.1 innings he has struck out 35 hitters while allowing just eight hits. He has thrown a pair of no-hitters.
The Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association (MBCA) awarded four $1,000 scholarships in the name of Edwin T. Fratkman, and former baseball coach and principal at Newton South. Scooter Beverly (Framingham), Chris Goode (Franklin), Ryan Boyce (Northbridge), and Jack Fehlner (Newburyport) were the 2022 seniors to receive the scholarship. All four are currently freshmen in college.