PLAINVILLE, Mass. – In a game that will likely decide the Kelley-Rex division champion, King Philip’s pitching and power bats took control.
Kali Magane tossed a one-hit shutout, Ashley Hession hit a pair of two-run home runs and Renee Poirier blasted one of her own as the Warriors shutout the Tigers, 8-0.
“Our team is batting .376 and our on-base is .480,” King Philip head coach Norm Beauchemin said. “We’re on base all the time and we score. We’re a hitting team, there’s no question about it.”
KP did not waste any time getting on the board, as leadoff hitter Christa Wagner singled, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Maddie O’Gryzek, to third on a passed ball and scored on Poirier’s homer.
The Warriors continued their slugging in the second inning, scoring three runs all with two down in the frame. Casey Hutnyan hit a two-out single before Hession’s blast to left-center gave KP a 4-0 lead. Wagner then got to second on a two-base error and scored on two straight singles by O’Gryzek and Magane. The third inning was more of the same for KP, as Hession homered again with O’Gryzek on first.
With a 7-0 lead after three innings, Magane came out and shut down the Tigers offense. She retired the first six Tiger batters, and struck out the side after yielding a leadoff walk in the third inning. Magane went the distance for the one-hit shutout, striking out five and not allowing a runner to advance past first base.
“She protected the lead,” Beauchemin said of Magane. “She might not have had the normal strikeouts but this was by far the best game that she’s pitched. She pitched to location, and that’s a great hitting team that she kept to one hit. She was superb today.”
KP added a run in the fifth inning when Wagner hit an RBI triple to right field. That was the only blemish for Taunton reliever Courtney Fisher, who entered in the third inning and allowed the one run on four hits while striking out two.
Beauchemin highlighted the difference between this game and the previous matchup with the Tigers in which Taunton came back from a 5-1 deficit in the seventh to win 6-5.
“We didn’t give them anything,” Beauchemin said. “They had to earn it. Last time, we took a 5-1 lead and walked two kids in the next inning. We kind of gave it right back to them, but not today. Today [Magane] was focused, really focused. The whole team was focused. This was a much different team today. Hopefully this is the playoff team next week.”
The win increases KP’s winning streak to 13 straight games as the Warriors improve to 16-2 overall and 13-1 in the league. A win over either Canton and Mansfield, KP's two remaining games on the schedule, will clinch a share of the Kelley-Rex division. A win over both will give them the title outright. Taunton, now 18-2 overall and 12-2 in the league, will be back in action tomorrow when they host Foxboro.
“These kids don’t lack confidence, but it has to help,” Beauchemin said. “It keeps our winning streak going and it keeps our momentum going the right way.”