Maddy Karlon, Maynard hold off Hopedale to claim first Division 5 softball title
WORCESTER — After dropping a one-run game to Hopedale in the regular season, Maynard knew Saturday’s Division 5 championship would be another close battle.
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So it came as no surprise to Maynard sophomore Maddy Karlon, who cruised through four scoreless frames, when Hopedale clawed back with one run in the fifth inning and another run in the sixth to cut its deficit to 3-2.
Karlon knew a strong finish was necessary to secure the victory.
The sophomore provided herself an insurance run with an RBI single in the top of the seventh, before closing out her complete game with 13 strikeouts to seal fourth-seeded Maynard’s 4-2 win over No. 3 Hopedale at Worcester State.
The performance marked the first title for the Tigers (19-4) and capped a stellar individual postseason for Karlon, who recorded a 1.09 ERA with 65 strikeouts in five complete games.
“It feels amazing,” said Karlon. “We knew that it was a really close game the first time, and it was going to be a really close game this time.”
Hopedale freshman Emily Atwood shined in the circle, allowing nine hits with eight strikeouts, but Maynard found success capitalizing on mistakes made behind her.
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In the fourth, Maddy Karlon reached on an error and scored on junior Haley Carroll’s RBI pop fly, and junior Abby Karlon came home on an error by the second baseman.
A similar story unfolded in the fifth, as junior Ryleigh Raschi led off with a single and came around on an error to extend the lead to 3-0.
“We’re built on speed and action,” said Maynard coach Jay Raschi. “We don’t lay quiet and hope that things happen. We have to make it happen if we need to.”
The Blue Raiders (14-11) chipped away with senior Mia Casey’s RBI groundout in the fifth and sophomore Lucy Mandeville’s RBI single in the sixth, and got two runners aboard in the seventh before Maddy Karlon slammed the door.
“I’m really proud of us as a team,” said Karlon. “How we completed it today was really great.”
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