HAVERHILL – The Whittier Tech softball girls ended a special season with a special performance on Monday.
Coach Cheryl Begin’s Wildcats hung seven runs on the board in the bottom of the first then coasted to an 8-4 win over Bay Path Regional to claim the Division 1 State Vocational School Championship.
“It’s a good way to end it with seven seniors leaving us,” said Begin. “The kids battle every day. I couldn’t ask for a nicer group of kids.”
Whittier, bumping up to Division 1 from Division 4 for the MIAA state tourney, pushed a quality foe, Marshfield, to the limit, falling 2-1 in the Round of 32.
The Wildcats bounced back nicely to claim the handsome tech title trophy, first knocking off Bristol-Plymouth and then drilling Bay Path to finish the superb campaign at 19-4.
As soon as it started, the title game was pretty much over with Whittier sending 11 hitters to the plate in the bottom of the first.
Maddie Noury reached on an error, and Kaylee Habib walked to set the table. Ainsley Rousseau singled in the first run of the game, then Kaitlyn Hurley and Kayden Ouellette belted back-to-back doubles. Callie Nadeau and Wilmeri Valera kept the line moving with hits, and each also came around to score.
That was plenty of offense for Habib, who went the distance in the win, staying in charge despite a microscopic strike zone.
Note: We will have much more in Wednesday’s editions of The Eagle-Tribune on the Whittier win, the season and the dynamite senior class.