PLAINVILLE, Mass. - Sophomore centerfielder Christa Wagner blasted a three-run homer in the bottom of the second inning to spark King Philip to a 4-1 victory over North Attleboro (12-3, 10-3) on Sunday night at the Plainville Athletic League complex. Wagner’s classmate Kali Magane made the runs stand up by striking out 14 and by allowing only two hits over seven innings.
The victory keeps the Warriors (13-4, 13-2) just one game back of league leading Taunton ahead of their showdown on Monday night at Jack Tripp Field.
“We got here early and we knew that we had to get on her early and just go with it,” said Wagner. “So, we prepared and we were just so confident. We worked together as a team and for the first time in a while. It was a really good win.”
When asked about his team’s approach against North Attleboro ace Meg Colleran, KP coach Norm Beachemin responded, “We just quickened our bats and not try to hit homeruns but just have good swings. These kids have been working hard and they know what they’ve been doing wrong and trying to correct their mistakes. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.”
In the top of the first, sophomore catcher Mycala Moody bunted for a base hit with one out. Colleran, who is also among the league’s leading hitters, ripped a grounder up the middle, but shortstop Ashley Hession made a diving stop to get the force at second. Magane then struck out McKenzie Sherman to end the inning.
Colleran struck out the first four hitters that she faced before Hession singled with one out in the second. That was followed by a single to right by Brianna Sebio (2-3), which slipped under the glove of Julianna Johnson and allowed Hession to come all the way around to score the game’s first run.
After Casey Huntyan stuck out, Jordan Shaffer kept the inning alive by drawing a walk. That brought up Wagner (2-3) and the Warriors No. 9 hitter blasted an opposite-field homerun to left that pushed across three runs and made it 4-0.
Wagner, who has already verbally committed to Penn State, explained, “I just got up there with a positive attitude. I knew Meg is such a good pitcher, so I knew that if I went up there being a head case that I wouldn’t succeed. The first pitch I saw -- I was confident and just let it go.”
Beauchemin said, “She’s a powerful kid. If Christa can be Christa -- watch out. She’s another one that is working hard, working hard and it’s starting to click.”
North had its best chance to get back into the game in the third. Emily Knobel led-off with a walk. After back-to-back strikeouts, Moody would reach on an error to put runners at first and third with Colleran due up. The rally ended as Magane struck out her opposite number.
It was the start of three straight innings in which Magane struck out the side and the first of seven consecutive strikeouts through the third, fourth, and fifth innings. It was another dominant performance by the sophomore, who has taken over the starting role in the second half of the season.
“She bore down,” said Beauchemin about his starter. “It’s a big game with a quality pitcher on the other side so you need to match them pitch for pitch and I think she stepped up.”
King Philip battled against Colleran all game long and managed eight hits off the North ace. The UMass-commit was able to get out of several jams and keep the Rocketeers in the game. In the fourth, she escaped after allowing the first two hitters to reach and, in the fifth, she induced a groundout with runners at second and third.
In the sixth inning, KP nearly broke the game wide open. The Warriors loaded the bases with just one out, but Colleran struck out Shannon Jones. Magane followed with a line drive over second base, but Marissa Gifford made a diving grab to save two runs.
“Megan dug deep. With a line-up like that, you can’t just groove it down the middle. So, she’s going to run into deep counts,” said Wallace. “You throw Christa Wagner at No. 9 in any lineup and that’s a tough lineup top to bottom.
He added, “Megan had a good game, she still had 10 punch-outs, but in big games like this we need to limit our mistakes and we need to put the ball in play more.”
In the seventh, North rallied. With one out, Danielle Gorman drew a walk. Jill Costello flew out to left, but then Rachel Murphy lined a pitch into the gap in right center and pinch runner Jordan Sharp hustled home from first. Magane came right back with her 14th strikeout of the game to end it.
The Warriors will head into Monday’s game at Taunton knowing that a victory clinches at least a share of the Kelley-Rex division title. Wagner believes that KP is hitting its stride at the right time of the season.
“Right now, we’re feeling really good,” she said. “I’m glad it’s happening right before playoffs because we started off good and then we got a little rocky in midseason, but now that we got those wins and it’s going to show in playoffs.”
North Attleboro will face Attleboro, Franklin, and Mansfield this week as it battles to stay one of the top seeds in Division 1 South.
Josh Perry can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.