The Gloucester softball team finds itself in another win-or-go-home scenario this Saturday in Norton (2 p.m.) for a Division 3 Elite Eight clash.
It’s the second straight season that the Fishermen have advanced to the state quarterfinals, and sophomore ace Abby Noble is once again leading the charge on the mound.
The second-year stan dout pitched the majority of innings for manager Bryan Aiello this spring, and will undoubtedly trot back out to the circle for Saturday’s big game, too. But regardless of what unfolds this weekend, Noble has made her mark as one of the state’s most consistent hurlers — and that hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Earlier this week, Noble was named to the NEC’s All-Conference team, which featured 11 of the league’s top players. She was the lone GHS representative on the squad, and one of just two sophomores to earn the honor.
Noble’s pitching statistics speak for themselves. She finished the regular season with a whopping 233 strikeouts, by far the best mark in the area. She has continued to shine in the playoffs by fanning 12 batters in a complete game two-hitter in an opening round win over Medfield (5-0) before fanning 11 more while allowing just two hits again in a 4-2 triumph over Cardinal Spellman in the Sweet 16. Noble is on pace to shatter the career strikeout record at Gloucester High when it’s all said and done.
Tossing 126 1/3 total innings throughout the 20-game regular season, Noble sported an impressive 1.33 ERA, again the best mark in the entire North Shore and Cape Ann area. She helped her team to a 17-3 overall record, the NEC Lynch Division crown, and the No. 7 seed in an ever-competitive D3 bracket. Gloucester was the lone team North of Boston to earn a top seven seed.
Also earning recognition by the Northeastern Conference for Gloucester was senior first basemen and three-hole slugger Emma Carrapichosa, junior shortstop and leadoff hitter Mackayla Allen, and freshman outfielder Samantha Tucker, who regularly batted second in the lineup. All three standouts were named NEC Lynch Division all-stars.
Tucker (.466 batting average) and Carrapichosa (.433, 22 RBI) were both among the top contact hitters in the area, with the latter known for mashing doubles, too. Tucker also scored 23 regular season runs while Allen crossed home 22 times. Allen has a knack for getting on base and setting the tone for her team out of the leadoff spot; she drove in 27 runs in the regular season, a top five mark in the area and the best on her team.
Peabody senior catcher/first basemen Elizabeth Bettencourt was named the NEC Player of the Year, while Masconomet’s Joe Ciccarello took home Coach of the Year honors.
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.