The center of the high school sports universe will be shining blue and white Wednesday evening.
The first of two back-to-back MIAA tournament contests will begin at 5:30 p.m., when the number one seed Bedford High School Buccaneers softball team hosts eighth-seeded Danvers in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Division 2 North playoffs at Miss G Field.
Then at 7, the BHS girls’ lacrosse team continues its historic run with a showdown against 11th-seeded Holliston High School starting at 7 on adjacent Sabourin Field.
Lacrosse
Girls’ lacrosse reached the semifinals for the first time with a dramatic 12-11 triumph Monday night at the number two seed in Division 2 East, Foxboro.
Coach Nicole Lespasio said the match was an “absolute battle,” in capital letters. And it came down to a last-second save by freshman goalie Charlotte Dreyfus to preserve the one-goal win. Sophie Morrissey and Gaby Zovko each scored three times for Bedford.
Holliston is the Cinderella story of the tournament so far, entering as the 11th seed with a record of 6-8-1. The team wouldn’t even have qualified under normal requirements, which include a winning percentage of at least .500. (This spring the MIAA opened post-season play to all.)
Yet they have won two rounds, over Apponequet and Hopedale, by a combined score of 29-5. The winner tomorrow night will face either Dover-Sherborn or Medfield for the sectional championship.
Softball
The softball team found itself in an unusual position Monday evening: trailing before coming up to bat. Indeed, Dracut exploded to a 5-0 lead in the first inning.
By the end of the third, however, the Middies trailed, 16-7, and the Bucs were on their way to the net round.
Bedford scored five runs of its own in the bottom of the first, featuring a key two-out hit by winning pitcher Kaylee Grace. It was a “great fight-back inning,” said BHS Coach Dennis Walsh.
Trailing 7-5 in the bottom of the second, Bedford took control for good. Maggie Carluccio worked a leadoff walk, and Ellie Mitchell blasted one deep to tie the game up. Bella Fernald and Laney Mead followed with hits, and after Katie Kranz drove in the lead run, Sydney Poor blasted a two-out double.
Other highlights en route to what turned out to be an easy win included a Fernald home run, key hits by Poor and Grace, and two great defensive plays by Mitchell.
The Bucs collected 12 hits and 10 walks to propel them to 19 runs.
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
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