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SHS baseball prolongs season with playoff wins

By Dakota Antelman Managing Editor SHREWSBURY - A difficult start didn’t end the Shrewsbury High School (SHS) baseball team’s season on Wednesday of last week.

Instead, the squad bounced back, defeating Lincoln-Sudbury at home to move one step further in this year’s state championship tournament.

Down again just three days later, the Colonials managed to rally once again, defeating BC High School to advance to the state Final Four.

“Survive and advance,” Head Coach Lee Diamantopoulos said after the Lincoln-Sudbury win. “That’s the rule of tournament play, you never look past your next opponent.”

Griffith helps boost team in win

Hosting their Round of 16 game at SHS, the Colonials

PHOTO/DAKOTA ANTELMAN Ben Griffith celebrates after scoring during his team’s game against LincolnSudbury last week.

initially fell behind in the second inning against LincolnSudbury, with multiple errors in the field.

They quickly tied the game, however, before cementing a lead.

“I’m just so proud of how the boys competed out there today,” Diamantopoulos said.

“We had a couple self-inflicted wounds to start,” he continued. “They overcame that and I think that’s a sign of a great team to be able to grind out some great at bats and play good defense out there.”

Shrewsbury allowed just one more run after the second inning.

Its bats, meanwhile, came alive.

Ben Griffith led the way, hammering a pair of RBI-triples into the outfield to pad Shrewsbury’s advantage.

Griffith then took the mound as a relief pitcher in the game’s final frames to navigate Shrewsbury’s final outs against Lincoln-Sudbury after a five-inning start from teammate Rocco Hickson.

“Ben’s been our guy all season,” Diamantopoulos said. “There’s no one else we want on the mound there to finish the game. We felt good with him on the mound when we needed to close it out.”

All this did mark a rebound for Griffith, who had struggled both at the plate and on the mound in recent appearances.

“I’m so happy for him,” Diamantopoulos said after the win. “He’s worked really hard and he’s definitely a gamer. We’ve got total confidence in him.”

Shrewsbury bounces back from defeat

Ranked fourth out of the 42 teams that qualified for this year’s Division I state baseball tournament, Shrewsbury has had its share of dominant days this spring.

As it did in the early moments of both its Lincoln-Sudbury and BC High games, though, the team has also had its share of struggles.

Just a week prior to the state tournament, the Colonials lost to 27th-ranked Algonquin in an upset in the CMADA finals.

Players and coaches noted that defeat following their Lincoln-Sudbury win while celebrating their program’s ability to make adjustments.

“We responded well to losses all year,” Griffith said. “We’ve gone on win-streaks after losses.”

“It just gives us fire,” he continued, “so, we perform.”

‘We still have more to win’

Shrewsbury turned its attention to the BC High Eagles quickly last week.

SHS baseball | 15

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COMMUNITY SPORTS Westborough girls tennis qualifies for state Final Four Hudson softball falls in state

PHOTOS/DAN HOLMES

WESTBOROUGH - The Westborough girls tennis team was due back in action on Wednesday after punching its ticket to the Division II state semifinals. Ranked second among all Division II girls tennis programs, the Rangers qualified for the

Westborough’s Isabel Feldman returns a serve in the third singles match during her team’s contest with Walpole on Tuesday.

Westborough’s Anusha Vishal returns a serve.

Final Four with a series of wins in recent weeks, defeating Walpole last Tuesday before besting Longmeadow on Monday.

As of press time, Westborough was next due to travel to Hingham High School on Wednesday for its face off with fourteenth-ranked Bishop Stang.

SHS baseball prolongs season with playoff win

SHS baseball | from page 14

Hosting that game, they initially trailed before securing a 7-3 comeback victory.

With a state title now within reach, the Colonials were set to take on Franklin in the Final Four on Tuesday as of press time.

“We’ll turn the page and figure out who we’re playing next,” Diamantopoulos said before the HUDSON - The Hudson High School softball team mounted a major comeback before ultimately falling to Middleborough in their Elite 8, state quarterfinals game on Friday of last week.

Ranked fourth in the tournament bracket, the Hawks hosted the fifth-ranked Sachems with a spot in the state Final Four on the line.

Middleborough jumped out to an early lead, eventually expanding that to a 7-0 advantage going into the bottom of the fourth inning.

Hudson managed to score, eventually drawing within one run of a tie to force extra innings. The Hawks ultimately came up short, however.

“Unbelievable comeback,” Hudson Athletic Director Jessica Winders tweeted following the final out. “What a game.”

Now halted in their bid for a state title, Hudson looks back on a season with a final win-loss record of 19-4.

The Hawks won a CMADA title late as part of that record last month before then navigating a pair of playoff wins in recent weeks.

“This team was a blast to watch — never quit, never stopped believing,” Winders continued in her message. “A special group.”

BC High game. “Hopefully we can improve and give them our best shot.”

“We still have more to win,” Griffith added. “Whoever’s next, we’ll take them.”

quarterfinals against Middleborough

PHOTO/DAN HOLMES Hudson’s Abbey Nezuch sends a hit to the outfield during her team’s game against Middleborough last week.

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