RallyNorth.net

Josie Sanchez was 4 for 4 with 5 RBIs and scored four runs as Whittier downed Lawrence 12-8.

See video interviews and highlights from Central Catholic softball's Division 1 North final matchup with Acton-Boxboro.

LOWELL — Central Catholic had every reason to feel optimistic.

The Raiders’ first batter of the game, star Brianna Martin, blasted a line drive to deep left field, cruising into third with a triple.

LOWELL — It became obvious early in last night’s Division 1 North semifinal that Meg Donegan would throw strikes for as long as Central Catholic needed. Brianna Martin, however, ensured her teammate didn’t need to work overtime. The Raider lead-off hitter smacked a two-run double with two outs in the top of the seventh and Donegan completely dominated top-seeded Chelmsford as fifth-seeded Central walked away with a 2-0 victory at Martin Field. Central (18-3) returns to the same field to play seventh-seeded Acton-Boxboro (18-5) today at 3:30. Chelmsford had beaten Central twice in the regular season and the Raiders’ other loss came vs. A-B. “We’ve been in the (North) semis each time since 2007 and only got past it one time (when the Raiders lost the 2008 Division 2 state semifinals),” Central coach Stacy Ciccolo said. “We think we have a special team, and we’re going to make a go of it. And I think the kids are hungry and don’t want to stop playing softball yet.” The only serious trouble Donegan faced was after a one-out double in the second, but the senior struck out the next two batters to erase the threat. It was the only time she allowed a runner past first. “(Chelmsford’s) always been a great hitting team,” said Donegan who was out with the flu the first Chelmsford game and lost the second 2-1. “I was just working the corners and trying to keep them off balance.” Raising her record to 15-2, Donegan put up some special numbers while posting nine strikeouts and allowing three hits against a team that was averaging 8.7 runs per game. Not only didn’t she walk a batter, she never had a three-ball count and only four times threw as many as two balls to a hitter. She struck out five in a row in one stretch and needed only 76 pitches, 54 of which went for strikes. “She’s been outstanding for us all year,” Ciccolo said. “She was a little fired up tonight. I could tell she was prepared mentally to go ... She carries the workload for us, and we kind of knew she would do whatever it took to stay in this game.” But all that work would have gone for naught, had Martin not delivered the crucial hit in the seventh. Pinch-hitter Leslie Moore started the rally with a one-out single before a fielder’s choice by Nicole Howe and Alex Borrelli’s second hit of the game left runners on first and second. Martin, averaging a team-leading .549, lashed the first offering she saw from Megan Rich into the left-field corner to drive in both. “I was very nervous,” Martin said. “But I just tried to stay calm. My dad (North Andover coach Brian Martin) always says know when you have the bat that you’re the best hitter, no matter what. And that’s what I thought when I went up there ... I was just looking to hit it hard I didn’t care where it went as long as I hit it hard.” In addition, center-fielder Martin made a nice running catch to right center to end the sixth. Donegan also got a help from shortstop Borrelli, who went up the middle for a grounder and started an inning-ending double play in the fourth. Central Catholic 2, Chelmsford 0 Division 1 North Semifinal Central Catholic (2): Brianna Martin cf 4-0-1, Britt Hall 2b 3-0-1, Meg Donegan p 2-0-1, Abbie King cr 0-0-0, Corrine Gosselin 1b 3-0-0, Kelly Michal c 3-0-0, Karissa Forzese 3b 3-0-0, Alexa Economou dp 2-0-0, Leslie Moore lf 1-0-1, Nicole Howe lf 3-1-0, Alex Borrelli ss 3-1-2. Totals 27-2-6 Chelmsford (0): Abby Johnson ss 3-0-0, Meghan McNamara lf 3-0-0, Alex Burgess cf 3-0-1, Rachel Couto 3b 3-0-1, Alison Couch c 3-0-1, Emily Lomis cr 0-0-0, Clancy Taylor 2b 2-0-0, Janelle Levesque dp 2-0-0, Dee Hayden 1b 2-0-0, Jen Janiak lf 2-0-0, Megan Rick p 0-0-0. Totals 23-0-3 RBI: Martin 2 WP: Donegan 15-2; LP: Rich 12-2 Next game: Today vs. Acton-Boxboro, 3:30 p.m., Martin Field in Lowell, Division 1 North final Chelmsford (21-2):    0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 Central Catholic (18-3):    0 0 0 0 0 0 2 — 2

Dazzling Donegan Meg Donegan’s night: Runs: 0 Strikeouts: 9 Walks: 0 Hits: 3 Pitches: 76 Strikes: 54 3-ball counts: 0

Despite outplaying No. 2 seed Alvirne and ace pitcher Taylor Carbone most of the way, Londonderry dropped a 10-inning heartbreaker, 3-2 in 10 innings, in the Division 1 semifinals.

Kelly Michal had an RBI single and a two-run double to get Central Catholic off to a quick start, and pitcher Meg Donegan (nine strikeouts) battled out of several jams late to earn the Raiders a rewarding 4-3 victory over Concord-Carlisle. Central advances to the Division 1 North semifinals.

SALEM — All year long, Salem coach Harold Sachs has said that Division 1 is wide open and that anyone can win on any given day. Unfortunately, Sachs was proven correct yesterday when No. 9-seed Bishop Guertin (10-10) knocked off the Blue Devils (20-2) in a huge quarterfinal upset. How big was the BG win? Cardinals’ coach Myia Yates could hardly put it into words. “This was just a tremendous accomplishment for us,” said Yates. “I’d have to go back in the record books to see if we’ve ever beaten them. To beat a team like Salem is unbelievable. “This was by far our best game of the year and it had to be. We did everything all-around.” Although Sachs lamented a couple of Salem base running mistakes, and one Guertin run scored on a throwing error, this was a game Guertin probably deserved to win. The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a home run by Jacklyn Davis and, after Salem responded with two runs in the fifth, hit the ball hard in the sixth, scoring two runs on three hits, the big blow being an RBI double by Kenzie McCabe. Salem had taken the lead on a two-run homer by Sarah Frahm after Sara Bracken led off the fifth with a single up the middle. But, other than that, Salem couldn’t find the gaps and Bishop Guertin played a strong defensive game, led by shortstop Jessica Lemos. Guertin pitcher Lauren Bingham wasn’t overpowering, striking out only two, but her defense gave her the support she needed to oust the Blue Devils in the quarterfinals for the second time in three years. Frahm and Amanda Baron both had two hits for Salem..

LONDONDERY — At just the right time, the pieces may be fitting together quite nicely for the Londonderry softball team.
On an afternoon in which it all fell apart for No. 1-seed and defending state champion Salem, which was upset by Bishop Guertin 3-2, the Lancers showed strength in every facet of the game in an 8-0 Division 1 quarterfinal romp over Nashua South.
Londonderry (17-4), which has overcome adversity over the last month, advanced to Thursday’s 4 p.m. semifinals against Alvirne (18-3) at Southern New Hampshire University.
During the season, starting first baseman Danielle Crutcher missed most of the action with mononucleosis, ace pitcher Theresa Zwart developed a brain abnormality that has forced her to be a designated hitter only and starting catcher Abby Lang — who was hitting over .400 — suffered a knee injury that probably has ended her season.
But the Lancers displayed their resiliency yesterday. Crutcher played the entire game, scoring a run and making a great defensive play, No. 2 pitcher Sam Corey threw a six-hit shutout, striking out seven, and backup catcher Cara Colotti, a junior, was 2 for 3 with three RBIs.
“Cara can hit and I thought she called a good game today,” said Londonderry coach Wayne MacDougall. “I thought overall we looked pretty good today.”
Coming into the tournament, MacDougall’s biggest concern was, without being able to use Zwart, Londonderry’s pitching, but Corey may have eased his fears yesterday.
“She’s technically our No. 2 pitcher, but she pitched like a No. 1 today,” said MacDougall. “She had them off balance and she seemed very relaxed out there. She has a tendency to get rattled.”
But that is something Corey has been working on.
“The key for me is being confident, feeling good and shaking it off when things don’t go well,” said Corey. “I felt good today. I love the pressure of pitching in the big games.”
Corey must have felt relaxed after the bottom of the first, when Londonderry scored five runs, courtesy of a leadoff double by Lindsay Bolduc, three errors, a dropped sun-plagued fly ball and a two-RBI hit by Colotti.
A two-run homer by Nicole Williams in the third made it 7-0 and Colotti’s RBI single drove in Kelly Hunt ( 3 for 3) with Londonderry’s final run in the fifth.                 
“We can hit the ball, but we’ve had some trouble against the really good pitchers,” said MacDougall. “We’ll find out if we’re over that against Alvirne (with ace pitcher Taylos Carbone).”

No. 15 Methuen softball gave up six runs to No. 18 Revere in the top of the eigth inning as the Rangers lost 8-2 in the Division 1 North preliminary round to finish their season at 12-9.