PLAINVILLE — The Taunton softball team is tough to beat when Sam Lincoln is in the circle.
But when the Tigers get two home runs — from freshmen, no less — good luck.
Behind big flies from ninth-graders Maddie Crowley and Aniyah Bailey, and the expected sterling pitching performance from Lincoln, Taunton beat fellow Hockomock League and state power King Philip, 5-1.
Taunton improves to 11-0, while KP drops to 10-2.
“The freshmen have definitely been a key contributor to us offensively this year,” Taunton coach Michelle Raposo said. “They’re just going up, being aggressive at the plate, and it just happens to go. That was Maddy’s first home run with us. Aniyah hit another one for us tonight. Keep Sam calm on the mound when we have some run reassurance. We’re hitting through the lineup. Whether you’re a freshman on the team or a senior on the team, you’re making things work.”
Things always seem to work for Lincoln, who struck out 13 batters, gave up one earned run, allowed five hits, and walked two.
Her counterpart, King Philip pitcher McCoy Walsh, struck out 10, allowed nine hits, with four walks.
Lincoln showcased her usual fastball, but also mixed in a nasty changeup that she has been working on more and more as this season has progressed.
“She’s worked really hard lately on giving that offspeed pitch,” Raposo said. “It wasn’t something that she was overly comfortable with before the season. But, we’ve worked hard on mixing that in. If they’re only seeing the speed, they’re only going to expect the speed. To keep them off balance and looking for the different pitches that she throws is definitely an edge up on her.”
“A changeup is a really important pitch, and you need to be able to locate it in the right position,” Lincoln said. “I really (use) my changeup once they time up my pitches. A lot of teams can’t catch up, but if they catch up I like to have that pitch to keep them off balance. I wasn’t throwing it early in the season … but now I’m throwing it, and it’s really effective.”
Taunton got on the board in the second inning. Cate Larson reached on a walk, then Crowley stepped to the plate and put it over the wall in left, as the Tigers grabbed a 2-0 lead.
Then, in the top of the third, Bailey led off with a shot that might have been the hardest hit ball of the night. She crushed it to deep center and way over the fence as she gave her team the 3-0 advantage.
In the fifth, Taunton made it a 4-0 lead when Bella Bourque doubled to left field. Bailey then singled to left to bring her in, and all of that was more run support than Lincoln needed.
KP got one back in the sixth, as Lucy Weineck led off with an infield single, and scored on Jo Bennett’s infield single to second. The Warriors then loaded the bases, but Lincoln got out of the jam with a strikeout.
But Taunton added an insurance run in the top of the seventh, as Larson singled in Kaylee Lopes. Lopes was in pinch running for Lincoln, who doubled with one out.
