By John Orrell, Contributing Writer
Grafton —When discussions center on successful sports teams at Grafton High – and there are many – it is no accident that the conversation and accompanying accolades point to the school’s varsity softball team. And why not?
Under the tutelage of veteran head coach John Gemme, the Indians have captured a pair of Division 2 state championships (2012, 2013), advanced to another (2014) and earned a spot in the Central Mass. finals (2015). During that period, Grafton has run off 89 victories while losing just six times.
Expect no drop-off as this 2016 squad has compiled a record of 16-1 to date, with the lone loss coming at Holy Name High last month. The Indians latest opponent to go down and go down hard was visiting Uxbridge High on May 24 falling 12-0, in a five-inning suspended contest. The victory earned the team its sixth consecutive SWCL East championship.
“Year in and year out they buy into working hard, playing good defense and getting timely hits,” explained Gemme, who is assisted by Gwen Reimer and Jake Powers. “They just keep getting better. They’ve become confident that no matter what the situation is, they’re going to make a play and they keep on coming through with that.
“We all talked at the beginning of the season about encouraging one another to do the absolute best they can because that pushes you to become a better player. They bought into that and have been doing great and the captains really lead the way too.”
Seniors Kendall Leofanti, Olivia DeFreitas and Lindsey Sawtelle were all members of the 2013 state championship team, but as freshmen saw somewhat reduced roles. That has all changed since and the girls are unabashed about their zeal to win once more before their high school softball days conclude.
“It would be great to have book-ending state championships,” said starting catcher DeFreitas. “If we win senior year, like we did freshman year, it would be a great end to a season. If we keep working well together and keep working hard in practice, and do the best that we can like we always do, good things should happen.”
“We work really well together,” echoed Leofanti. “We’ve been playing together for a few years now. Things really flow well together for this team. To finish this season off as a senior winning it all would be the best thing ever that could happen to our team. We’re going to have to stay together, be focused and keep working hard in practices.”
“I’ve been playing with most of my teammates for a lot of years and over that time, you build a strong bond that carries us through the tough games,” added Sawtelle. “I think that what makes this team different from what we’ve had in the past is that we can hit really well from one through nine. We all encourage each other and hope each other do the best they can.”
Senior second-baseman Shelbe Turpin was not on the Indians state championship teams but believes that this could indeed be a special year for this group. She points to the Holy Name loss, as does Gemme, as perhaps the humbling wakeup call the team needed at the time which may turn out to become a “good loss,” as Gemme labels it.
“I think that loss was one of the best things to happen to us because it shows we’re not invincible,” remarked Turpin. “It showed us that we have to play as a team and play for a whole seven inning game, otherwise we won’t be as successful as we have been.”
“I think from that point on they started to swing the bats better realizing that we have to play seven innings and if we get a team down, let’s put them away,” Gemme added. “Let’s not let them hang around. The loss to Holy Name was a good lesson learned.”
Grafton earned its 16th season victory by putting away Uxbridge early. A two-run double by Sawtelle plated Bella Thornton and Leofanti, but the real damage came in the fourth inning when 10 batters came to the plate with seven scoring. Big hits were recorded by Erin Cardoza, Jess Hamilton, Turpin and Sawtelle, who belted a three-run homerun over the centerfield fence.
The Indians would close it out with three more in the fifth, the biggest knock coming on a round-tripper by Jess Evans. Pitcher Shannon Mortimer continued her SWCL-leading pitching dominance (10-0, 0.22 ERA) tossing a one-hitter that included nine strikeouts.
“We’ve had great camaraderie with other teams in the past too, but I think what stands out most to me is the way they play together,” Gemme said of his 2016 squad. “The girls all cheer for one another and enjoy one another’s company. That goes a long way.”
The 2016 Grafton High varsity softball team consists of seniors Kendall Leofanti, Olivia DeFreitas, Shelbe Turpin and Lindsey Sawtelle, all of whom were recognized at Senior Day ceremonies before the Uxbridge game. Juniors include Erin Cardoza, Bella Thornton, Elizabeth Sudbey and Carolina King, who are joined by sophomores Shannon Mortimer, Savannah Small, Jess Evans, Jess Hamilton and Anna Bertrand. DeFreitas, Turpin and Sawtelle are team captains.
Photos/Kelly Burnerson u
