HOLDEN — Wachusett Regional High School’s Isabel Moreno belted out 3 hits, a homerun short of the cycle (single, double and triple), while teammate Amanda Roche collected a pair of hits and scored two runs to lead the host Mountaineers to an 11-4 victory over rival Shrewsbury High on May 7. The win was the 12th of the season, with the only defeat coming at the hands of Leominster High. The Blue Devils edged Wachusett, 6-5, on April 29.
“It was just one of those things where the team that plays better the day of the game is going to come out on top,” explained head coach Jason Lanpher. “It’s good for them to see that we’re not invincible and we have to play well every day.”
To claim that this team is something other than an offensive juggernaut is a flagrant misstatement. The Mountaineers have compiled a season record outscoring their opponents 147 to 28, a mark of a team that can boast of one of the most robust lineups in the region.
“This season’s been a journey. When our team is going strong, we’re doing well offensively and hitting-wise,” said catcher Laurel Field, who tripled in the Shrewsbury game and will be playing for Worcester State University next season. “I think it (loss to Leominster) actually helped because we recognize that we have to work together. This year’s a new year, and we have to work hard.”
“This year we’ve made it really important that we come together, as opposed to working separately, and it’s working for us so far,” said outfielder and Skidmore College-bound Isabel Moreno. “The whole team can hit. The whole team can field. We have a very deep lineup.”
“This team is different, like most teams are,” Lanpher said. “They’re a little more quiet, and they’re probably one of the most athletic teams throughout the lineup. We have more bats than we have spots. I have more kids that can hit, and that’s different from past years. We’ve always had good hitting up here, but it makes it tough to fill out the lineup every day. Our goals (repeat of 2019 state championship) ever since I’ve been coaching here are still the same, and that’s no different with this team.”
Against the Colonials, an 8-run second-inning uprising proved to be the game winner. Wachusett bats caught fire, particularly with an array of doubles off the bats of Esmee Frohock, Caitlin Ciccone, Tiegan Walsh, Isobel Connor, Shayna Bakun, Roche and Moreno.
“It’s important that when we take our starters off and our defense plays just as well,” said Roche, who will be playing her game at Fitchburg State University in 2025. “We have a rotating lineup, and we’ve shown that we can be successful with that.
“Our pitchers (Bakun and Taylor Stuart) are doing great. With just the two pitchers, it can be tough, but they do a good job splitting up the games. They know each other well, and they’re very good leaders on and off the field.”
