The Kentucky-bound senior needed four strikeouts heading into the game against rival Marlborough and accomplished the feat in the fourth inning.
From HockomockSports.com's Ryan Lanigan:
Milford senior Shannon Smith is used to making the headlines, with 26 career no hitters, 8 perfect games, and a state championship under her belt.
But Smith outdid herself once again, picking up career strikeout number 1,120 in the fourth inning to break the Massachusetts strikeout record.
Needing four strikeouts entering the game, Smith picked up two in the second inning and tied the state record at 1,119 in the third inning. She forced a pop fly to start the fourth, followed it up with a hit batter, before getting Marlborough’s Victoria Petrie swinging for the state record.
“I was pretty happy,” Smith said with a smile. “Their original approach it seemed was to bunt so they wouldn’t strike out. I was wondering if they were going to have that approach all game but pretty much after the first inning they ditched approach and tried something else. Then I was able to get the strikeouts after that.”
The previous record was held by Shawsheen’s Jen Elwell, who graduated in 2004. Smith struck out 12 in the 2-0 win over Marlborough to bring the state record to 1,128 – and counting.
“Shannon Smith has put in the work in the offseason for a number of years leading up to this point,” Milford head coach Brian Macchi said. “For her to now be the all-time strike out leader in Massachusetts, she deserves it.”
After the big strikeout, a PA announcer proclaimed the feat as Smith posed for a photo with her father, Shawn, and Macchi.
"I said to the girls before the game, ‘It’s history that we get to be a part of today,’ " Macchi said. "It’s an honor and a privilege to be a part of that."
As the University of Kentucky-bound Smith is wont to do, she got right back to business after the record-breaking K, striking out the next batter for Marlborough (13-5). In fact, Smith struck out seven of the next eight batters after Petrie’s swing and miss.
Smith went on to help lead the Scarlet Hawks to their second straight MIAA D1 State Championship. She finished her career with 1,219 strikeouts which stands as the state record. She was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the third time and was named HockomockSports.com's inaugural Softball Player of the Year.
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