1. 15ENTERPRISENEWS.COM SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 2012
DIV. 2 SOFTBALL STATE FINALDIV. 2 SOFTBALL STATE FINAL
Abington High (23-2) vs. Grafton High (23-1)
• 4 p.m. • Worcester State University
MARC VASCONCELLOS/The Enterprise
I Members of Abington High’s Div. 2 South Sectional champion softball team look to add a state trophy today in Worcester.
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HIGH SCHOOLS, RED SOX / 14
CELTICS, U.S. OPEN / 15
TRACK TALK, SCOREBOARD 15
ABINGTON GREEN WAVE
SEASON RESULTS
APRIL
Date Opponent W/L
3 at Whitman-Hanson W, 6-5 (8)
5 Franklin L, 5-3
9 East Bridgewater W, 14-1
10 at Harwich W, 8-1
12 at Rockland W, 12-0
16 Plymouth South W, 9-0
18 at Cardinal Spellman L, 4-2
21 at Franklin W, 3-1
24 Mashpee W, 8-0
26 at Norwell W, 8-1
30 at Hull W, 21-1
MAY
2 Carver W, 13-1
8 at East Bridgewater W, 8-1
11 Harwich W, 19-0
14 Rockland W, 10-0
15 at Mashpee W, 17-1
17 Norwell W, 7-0
21 Hull W, 13-0
24 at Carver W, 6-0
28 at Plymouth South W, 3-2 (9)
JUNE
5 Medfield W, 7-4*
6 Duxbury W, 8-0*
9 Hopkinton W, 2-1*
10 Fairhaven W, 3-1*
12 Dracut W, 5-4*
* MIAA tournament
GRAFTON INDIANS
SEASON RESULTS
APRIL
Date Opponent W/L
4 Uxbridge W, 14-6
6 at Bartlett W, 16-0
9 Nipmuc W, 10-0
10 David Prouty W, 23-0
12 Millbury W, 10-0
17 at Oxford W, 6-0
24 at Sherpherd Hill W, 2-0
25 Tantasqua W, 3-0
MAY
2 at Leicester W, 3-0
3 at Northbridge W, 9-1
7 Quaboag W, 2-1
8 Auburn W, 15-3
9 at Southbridge W, 23-13
11 at Millbury W, 12-1
14 Northbridge W, 12-0
16 Holy Name W, 2-1
19 Oxford W, 5-0
23 at Hudson W, 1-0
24 Oxbridge W, 7-0
25 at St. Peter-Marian L, 4-3
JUNE
3 Oxford W, 8-0*
6 Hudson W, 4-3*
9 Leicester W, 16-*
12 Hampshire W, 3-2*
* MIAA tournament
No.Name Pos.Yr
2 Victoria Chiocchio LF Fr
4 Megan Kelly CF Fr
7 Stephanie Chiocchio RF Sr
8 Mackenzie Gillis SS Jr
10 Liz Morgan 2B Sr
11 Stephanie Cornish 3B Jr
12 Samantha Thompson 1B So
14 Kelly Norton P Sr
ABINGTON HIGH ROSTER
No. Name Pos. Yr
15 Haylee Rogers C Jr
16 Haley Gomes C Jr
18 Alicia Reid CF Jr
20 Victoria Curtin P Fr
21 Danielle Hamilton 1B Jr
23 Amanda Doherty 3B Fr
25 Alex Powers 1B Jr
34 Jill Marella RF Sr
GRAFTON HIGH ROSTER
No.Name Pos. Yr
1 Tara Faford 3B Jr
3 Amanda Voellings 2B Fr
4 Kendal Roy P So
5 Meaghan Sawtelle P Fr
7 Ali Page C Jr
9 Kate Cardoza 1B So
STATE TROOPERSAbington girls go
for program’s
first softball state
championship
By Cameron McDonough
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
A
BINGTON –
Championship
Saturday has ar-
rived for the
Abington High
softball team, which will put
the ball in the right hand of
Kelly Norton one final time in
a bid to win the program’s first
state title.
One thing that Green Wave
head coach Ernie Ortega knows
is that he doesn’t have to worry
about the stage being too big
for his senior fireballer in to-
day’s 4 p.m. MIAA Div. 2
championship game against
Grafton (23-1) at Worcester
State University.
“I think the bigger the
game, the more fired up she
gets,” said Ortega. “She is a
very determined young woman.
She has been money for us.
There’s nobody I’d rather
have.”
Norton has indeed been the
cornerstone of the Green Wave,
who are 23-2 this season and
have gone 44-4 in Ortega’s two
seasons at the helm.
The Enterprise Player of the
Year in softball last season, she
has pitched every game this
season
while
amassing
223 strike-
outs over
162 innings,
including
postseason
play, to go
with a mi-
croscopic ERA of 0.60.
In her five tournament ap-
pearances, she has pitched 35
innings and struck out 43, with
an ERA of 1.20.
Norton will make her 71st
straight start today to wrap a
three-year career that includes
five no-hitters and two perfect
games as she goes for her 62nd,
and final, win for the Green
Wave.
Ortega’s expectations of
her are simple.
“Nothing less than she’s al-
ways done,” he said. “She’s al-
ways been prepared and ready
to go.”
Norton will be facing an
imposing pitcher as well in
sophomore sensation Kendall
Roy, who has pitched 22 of the
Indians’ 23 wins this season,
including a near no-hitter in
Grafton’s 3-2 win over Hamp-
shire in their state semifinal on
Wednesday.
Roy took a no-hitter into
the seventh inning before al-
lowing a single to lead off the
inning and settled for a three-
hitter.
“Kendall has done a good
job in the two years she’s
pitched for us,” said Grafton
head coach John Geeme.
“She’s always nice and relaxed
and comfortable with what
she’s doing, and she’s confi-
dent in her defense. It’s rare to
have a player at her age be as
confident as she is. I think
she’ll do pretty well.”
Abington will have to face
Roy without one of its key hit-
ters in senior right fielder Jill
Marella, who left on a family
cruise to Bermuda on Friday.
“Offensively, someone has
always come up,” said Ortega
on losing Marella. “Obviously,
I would have loved to have her
because she went from a part-
time player last year to full-
time this year.
“It’s a big loss, both in the
No. Name Pos. Yr
11 Makayla Ritzie CF Fr
12 Nikki Murphy CF Sr
13 Amanda Vulter LF Sr
14 Michelle Goulet RF So
15 Tess Fitzmaurice 1B Jr
16 Marissa Ruggiero SS Jr
Head Coach: Ernie Ortega Head Coach: John Gemme
Look for complete story, photo
and video coverage of Abington
High’s Div. 2 state softball final
against Grafton today in Worcester
in The Sunday Enterprise and at
Enterprisenews.com.
COMING SUNDAY
I IF YOU GO: Take Rt. 495 North to Exit 25 for Rt. 290 West. Proceed to Exit 18 (Rt. 9 West); turn
right off exit ramp and stay in center lane, following directions for Rt. 9 West. Turn right onto Rt. 9
West, also known as Highland Street. While on Highland Street, stay in the right hand lane. Stay on
Highland Street for 1.5 miles. (past Elm Park and Doherty High School on the left.) At the rotary,
bear left onto June Street. At the second traffic light, turn right onto May Street. The main entrance
to the University will be three blocks ahead on the left.
TO WORCESTER STATE UNIVERSITY
INSIDE
I Plymouth
North seeks a
second straight
Div. 2 baseball
state title today
in Worcester /
16
TROOPERS/PAGE 16