DARTMOUTH — The Taunton Tigers are on the hunt for a three-peat.
A dominant pitching performance from Texas Tech commit Samantha Lincoln and timely hitting helped the No. 3 Tigers squeak out a 2-0 victory over Hockomock League rival and No. 2 seed King Philip in a Division 1 softball semifinal.
The Tigers split the regular season series 1-1 with the Warriors, and the 1-0 loss on May 22 was the team’s only loss during the regular season. Head coach Michelle Raposo said the setback was needed for her team to stay grounded and energized.
“I told the kids earlier in the season that loss was a good loss,” Raposo said. “It humbled us a bit and dialed us in. We weren’t going to let them out-cheer us, and I am so proud of them.”
The Tigers earned two baserunners in the top of the first via walks, but King Philip pitcher McCoy Walsh locked in and shut the door. The Warriors got an initial boost off of a leadoff hit from senior Sarah Cullen, but Lincoln settled in after this blemish.
“I buckled down once that happened,” Lincoln said. “I was playing too loose, so I locked in and got the next ones.”
She would not allow another hit until the sixth inning, but the Tigers offense was struggling with the equally dominant Walsh. In the fourth inning, they broke through. It started when Ava Venturelli drew a walk, and then a bloop single from Hayley Krockta drove her in. Brooke Aldrich followed that up with a single of her own, giving Lincoln a two-run cushion to work with.
“As an offense, you’re there to score the runs and put up the insurance for the pitchers,” Aldrich said. “That takes a little bit off of them, and your defense takes it from there.”
The Warriors would fight back with singles from Jo Bennett and Libby Walsh in the sixth inning, but Lincoln squashed the threat. Aldrich nearly made it a 3-0 game in the bottom of the sixth, but the smoked line drive was kept in play by the top of the outfield wall.
Ava Kelley smashed a line drive into right field to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but a diving catch from Tigers right fielder Mia Torres ended the possible momentum-changing hit.
“I know that they are behind me all of the time,” Lincoln said. “It’s great to see it in moments like that when there are nerves and things get tight.”
Lincoln would retire the next two hitters with ease to set a date with Central Catholic for the state championship. Raposo said her team knows what they are playing for.
“It’s so hard to win a three-peat,” Raposo said. “It’s very rarely done, and it’s never been done at Taunton High. They want it all.”
