By John Orrell, Contributing Writer
Region – 2016 has been a season of streaks for the Marlborough High varsity softball team. There was a pair of three-game consecutive losses sandwiched between a two-game win streak that left the team searching for answers with playoff hopes in deep jeopardy. At 4-7 as recently as May 5, the team had its back against the wall needing good things to happen.
But then another streak took place; the kind that players, coaches and team supporters had known all along that these Panthers were more than capable of achieving. The squad rattled off three consecutive victories against Westborough, Algonquin and Leominster, and suddenly without warning, District tournament aspirations were once again in full throttle.
“This is a resilient team that knew that playoffs were still in our grasps,” said 13-year head coach Kyle Wescott, who is assisted by Rich Ward. “We had a tough run at the beginning of our schedule. We faced many of the top teams in the area early on and we knew that in the second half of the year there was some room for more wins. We still felt confident about making the playoffs.
“All these kids want to be in the playoffs. That’s the ultimate goal and they do know that we have some tough games left on our schedule, but we’re a very talented team and we can beat those teams when we play our game.”
“We started working more together as a team like communicating better,” added senior co-captain and starting pitcher Emily Woodworth. “We had more team bonding and that made a difference. We learned to play as one and not just as individuals.”
The team experienced what it considered a minor setback dropping a 7-3 decision to host St. Peter-Marian High on May 17, but with five contests remaining in the regular season, there remains ample opportunity to reach the softball promised-land.
“Today we didn’t hit but when we do our team is unstoppable and I know that if we do that, playoffs is definitely a strong possibility,” said senior co-captain Cora Allard. “Everyone’s very supportive. When someone’s down, we bring them up to get them back in the right way of approaching the game.”
Wescott has found a reliable lineup with Allard at second base and juniors Julia Brooks, Kim Konar and Katie Buroni at first, shortstop and third base, respectively. The outfield is in good hands with juniors Liv Larson in right, Kayley Cote in left and fleet-footed sophomore Sarah Popivchak in center. Senior Alyssa Marrero is solid behind the plate. Woodworth has handled the bulk of the duties from within the circle.
Others that Wescott is able to mix and match into his lineup include senior Aryanna Kubiak, juniors Alyssa Monti, Meghan Taylor, Emma Coye and Julia Barnes. Senior Julia Seymour has been sidelined with an injury and has been missed.
Panther resiliency was on display versus the Guardians. Down 7-0 late in the matchup, the team battled back scoring two in the sixth and one in the seventh. Larson and Konar opened with back-to-back singles and scored on a centerfielder error and an RBI single by Brooks. One frame later, it was Woodworth opening with crisp single up the middle and later scoring on a two-base hit by Popivchak, her second of two doubles on the day.
With tough opponents such as Doherty, Groton-Dunstable, Hudson and others still coming their way seeking to derail playoff hopes, Wescott and players know that the team will need to be focused and at its best.
“We put the ball in play a ton today. We just have to keep hitting the ball,” he explained. “When we hit the ball, we score runs in multiples and if we get ahead of a team we feel confident about our capabilities.
“We have to work defensively on some things but they’re the same thing that any team would be working on at this point of the year. We just have to keep on doing what we’ve been doing and I think we’ll be alright.”