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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
The Wellesley and Walpole High School varsity softball teams met twice in five days this past week, as the Rebels (7-3) edged the Raiders (3-5) on Saturday by a final of 12-0 before a masterful performance on the mound by sophomore McKenzie Rae led the Rebels to a 14-1 win on Wednesday at Lee Field in Wellesley to complete the 2-0 season sweep.
The Rebels got the bats going early on Wednesday afternoon, plating four runs in the first inning behind a two-RBI double by McKenzie Rae and an RBI double by Kathryn Wilmot, followed by Wilmot scoring on a passed ball.
McKenzie Rae (4) winds up and fires a strike during the bottom of the second inning. Photos by Michael Flanagan
Wellesley sophomore pitcher Sarah Farnsworth retired the Rebels in order in the top half of the second inning to keep the Raider deficit at just four, but Rae countered by also sitting down the Raiders in order in the home half of the second inning, as the two teams entered inning three with the Rebels still ahead 4-0.
Kathryn Wilmot led off the third inning for Walpole with a single to right before Kiera McInerney cracked a single as well into left, giving the Rebels runners at first and second with nobody out. Farnsworth was able to get a pop-out to Elizabeth Dew at third base for the first out of the inning, but Mandy Scully then drew a walk to load the bases for Walpole. Tess Lawlor then ripped a ground ball back to the mound, but the ball was snared by Farnsworth, who fired home to get the force out on the fielder’s choice. Following the second out of the inning, Wilmot was able to run home on a passed ball to extend the Rebel lead to five before Jaida Dingle-Brown singled home Kiera McInerney on an infield-hit. Farnsworth was able to keep the damage at just two runs, however, striking out the next batter she faced, as the Raiders headed into the bottom of the third down by six.
Despite the Raiders making some great contact during their half of the third inning, which included Elizabeth Dew lining out to right and a single by freshman Allison Goehringer, Wellesley was unable to cut into the deficit, and it remained 6-0 in favor of Walpole heading into the fourth.
The Rebels were able to put runners at first and second with two outs in the top of the fourth, but Farnsworth again worked some magic and got Kathryn Wilmot to pop out to Dew at third to end the inning. The Raiders again put runners on in the bottom of the fourth following an infield single by Emma Goldenthal with two outs, but were again unable to crack Rae and the game remained 6-0 after four.
The Rebels began to pull away in the top of the fifth, plating three runs to take a commanding 9-0 lead. The Raiders fought back with a run in the bottom of the inning to make it a 9-1 game following an RBI single by Elizabeth Dew. However, Walpole scored again in the top of the sixth inning to extend the lead back to nine at 10-1. The Rebels would tack on some insurance in the top of the seventh inning to make it a 14-1 game, before prevailing by the same score.
