BHS Softball Cruises to 11-5 Opening-Round Win

Bedford coaches Megan Asp, Lisa Predaina, and head coach Dennis Walsh watch the Bedford defense with players Ani Eskandarian, Lacey Gillis, Lulu Steele, and Madi DiPerna (L to R) Image, John C. Mitchell (c) 2022 all rights reserved

Junior Kaylee Grace was sharp in the start for Bedford ~ Image, John C. Mitchell (c) 2022 all rights reserved

Bedford High School’s 11-5 victory Sunday in the opening round of the MIAA Division 2 state tournament was basically decided in the first inning.

The Bucs will play the winner of Monday’s Ludlow-North Attleboro contest. Coach Dennis Walsh expects Bedford’s next game to be on Tuesday; North Attleboro is a much higher seed, and the 11^th-ranked Bucs wll be traveling if there’s no upset.

Sunday afternoon at Miss G Field, in the top of the first, Nashoba Regional of Bolton put runners on first and third with one out. On an attempted steal of second, BHS catcher Bella Fernald faked to second, then fired to third, where Gianna Missiti tagged the runner for the second out.

Pitcher Kaylee Grace induced a grounder to second to escape the inning unscathed.

Nashoba was not so fortunate. Ellie Mitchell led off with a bloop single, then the right fielder misjudged Cassidy Shuman’s

Sophomore Laney Mead led the Bucs’ offense with 6 RBI with a bases-loaded triple and double ~ Image, John C. Mitchell (c) 2022 all rights reserved

flyball, and suddenly there were runners on second and third. Bella Fernald walked to load the bases, and Laney Mead lashed a scorcher inside the third-base line to clear those bases.

After a conference on the mound, the Bucs got two more runs — on Missiti’s bunt. Not only did it score Mead from third, but the batter ended up circling the bases on a couple of Nashoba throwing errors.

Mead drove in three-more runs in the second inning with a bases-loaded double, and Fernald blasted a shot over both fences in right-center for three more in the fourth.

Grace threw five shutout innings, and when she tired in the sixth, Walsh brought in Coco Steele for a 1.2-innng close.

They were a good team – they won 13 games during the season,” Walsh said of the Wolves.

Solid infield defense helped propel the Bucs to the tournament victory. Missiti was a vacuum cleaner at third. “She was awesome,” Walsh said, noting his player’s high personal expectations. Second baseman Maggie Carluccio handled a scorching grounder to erase any Nashoba hopes in the seventh. “She was calm as the other side of a pillow,” Walsh remarked.

Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763