With McKenzie leading the way, Ipswich on roll
The Ipswich softball team (8-1) has bounced back nicely after a 5-1 loss to North Andover April 18. The Tigers are riding a four-game winning streak into tomorrow's game at Masconomet (1-10).
Second baseman and leadoff hitter Krista McKenzie has played a key role for the Tigers. The junior is hitting .678 with five RBIs.
"She can play the bunt, but she's been hitting more than bunting, and once she's on, she's a great base runner," said coach Doug Woodworth.
McKenzie uses her speed to stretch out hits, giving her teammates more RBI chances. She's ripped seven doubles and three triples this year and has scored 17 runs.
"She's not a power hitter, but that can be deceiving," Woodworth said. "With the speed that she has, if she puts the ball in the gap, she's going to get more than one [base], that's for sure."
The Tigers will also face Cape Ann rivals Newburyport (Wednesday) and Rockport (Thursday) this week.
Baseball
After opening the season with a lackluster 7-4 loss to Lowell in icy conditions, no team has been hotter than Malden Catholic (11-1, 5-0). Coach Steve Freker's squad has ripped off 11 straight victories to distance itself from the rest of the Catholic Conference.
Malden Catholic has received huge contributions from two of the Catholic Conferece's top pitchers, Chris Labriola (4-0, 0.50 ERA) and Kevin Gilchrist (2-0, 1.18). Freker's crew has a big week ahead. MC will play league rivals BC High and Xaverian, then try to avenge its only loss against Lowell Thursday night.
The spotlight will be on Lincoln-Sudbury's Sam Finn and Westford's Luke Mooney, two of the top hitters in the Dual County League, when the teams meet today in a showdown for first place. Each team is 10-1 overall and 3-1 in the league.
There will be a top-of-the-league clash today in the Middlesex League as well, with Winchester (11-1, 10-1) looking to avenge its early season loss to Reading (8-3, 8-3) in a game that will likely decide the league title.
The Sachems and coach Dave Blanchard, a Reading High teacher, will have to win on the road in order to tie up the season series with their league rivals.
