Deja vu for Alyana DeJesus as she powers Joseph Case to fourth straight softball title, but first in D3
WORCESTER — As Joseph Case sophomore Alyana DeJesus came to bat with two runners aboard in the fifth inning of Friday’s Division 3 championship game, the weight of the moment did not faze her.
During last year’s Division 4 title game, DeJesus launched a go-ahead home run in the fifth inning to help the Cardinals beat Tyngsborough for their third straight title.
Now, in the same inning, on the same Worcester State field?
“It was deja vu,” said DeJesus.
DeJesus hopped on a 2-0 riseball and mashed a three-run homer to straightaway center field, putting the exclamation on her four-RBI game to lead No. 3 Case to a 5-1 victory over No. 5 Apponequet.
The victory marked the fourth consecutive state championship for Case (23-2), and its first after moving up to D3.
“I saw my pitch, and I just decided to [drive] it,” said DeJesus. “I was definitely really happy. I’m so happy I could do something to help my team out.”
The Cardinals opened the scoring in the first when junior Lila Alvarez got aboard on an error and came around to score on DeJesus’s sacrifice fly. The Lakers (19-7) responded on freshman Ashlyn Bogdan’s RBI triple to even the score in the second.
Apponequet sophomore ace Reese Taylor (4 earned runs, 6 hits, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks) limited the Cardinals to one hit over the first four innings, but ran into trouble the third time through the order.
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Freshman Daniella Williams ignited Case’s fifth inning with a single, and Alvarez reached on an error, before junior Sydney Furtado drove in the go-ahead run with a single. Two pitches later, DeJesus broke the game open.
“We had a very young, new squad this year,” said Case coach Shannon Silva. “They didn’t play like it today. They played like they were all veterans, like they have been here before.”
The Lakers (19-6), playing in their first state title game since 1999, were led offensively by Taylor (double, walk) and junior Gabby DelVecchio (double, single).
Alvarez gave up five hits and struck out 11 in a complete-game effort, setting aside Apponequet’s final six batters after the Cardinals took the lead.
Though Case had a new slew of new opponents to charge through this postseason, the team’s process — and the end result — was the same.
“It’s just an amazing feeling to be here and to do this again,” said Alvarez. “It’s awesome doing it with all the girls.”
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