Lenox Walks Off Comeback Win in Class C Semi-Finals

LENOX, Mass. – Lenox senior Grace Julieano said she was “nervous” stepping to the plate with one out and a runner on second in the bottom of the seventh of a tied Western Mass Class C Semi-Final.

 

Nervous? A student-athlete who has faced high-pressure situations on the volleyball court, basketball court and softball diamond since she was a middle-schooler on the varsity team?

 

Some things, it turns out, never get old.

 

“Well, this could have been my last Western Mass game, being a senior, so it was very nerve-wracking,” she said after delivering the RBI base hit in a 6-5, walkoff win over Greenfield. “So I took some deep breaths, and it ended up paying off.”

 

Just as she has so many times before in all three of her sports, Julieano delivered, this time lacing a line drive into left field to plate Markiara Jackson with the run that sends second-seeded Lenox into Saturday morning’s regional final at Westfield State against No. 4 Franklin Tech, an upset winner over McCann Tech on Wednesday.

 

Cassidy Flynn earned a complete-game win in the circle with five strikeouts, and Julieano went 2-for-2 with three walks.

 

Amaya Alger was 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Millionaires, who came back from a two-run deficit to tie the game, 5-5, in the bottom of the fifth.

 

A back-and-forth battle saw the Green Wave jump on top early with two runs in the top of the first inning.

 

Lenox answered with one in the bottom of the first and another in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly from Evelyn Julieano.

 

Evelyn, the starting catcher, also factored heavily into some big defensive plays that had the visiting fans beside themselves in the early going.

 

In the first-inning rally, she threw out a runner attempting to steal second who definitely would have scored on a subsequent double.

 

In the third, she threw to first to start a 2-3-6 putout, erasing a runner who would have scored on a subsequent triple. And the runner who tripled was then thrown out by shortstop Grace Julieano to her sister behind the dish for a fielder’s choice.

 

“She just has the situational awareness,” Lenox coach Amy Pires said of the sophomore catcher. “She’s always looking. If someone’s on base, she’s looking to pick them off. That huge play at home with the ball hit to Grace, Grace throwing home? Just being there.

 

“[Evelyn’s] grown to love that position. She was also kind of thrown into that position. But I’m glad that she’s grown to actually enjoy it.”

 

Lenox got a little lucky on its next big defensive play, an inning-ending double play that started with a dropped fly ball in center field.

 

Layla Soules in center alertly threw to second baseman Lilly MacDonald to catch a runner hung up between first and second, and MacDonald relayed to Lexi Witherell at first to retire a confused batter who appeared to turn out of the baseline, thinking it was a fly ball out.

 

All those missed opportunities for Greenfield kept it a 2-2 game, and allowed Lenox to take a 3-2 lead when Alger dropped a single into right with two out to drive in Grace Julieano in the bottom of the fourth.

 

Greenfield answered with a three-run rally keyed by Grace Laurie’s two-run single to take a 5-3 lead.

 

After leaving a runner on first in the bottom of the fifth, Lenox scored twice in the sixth to tie the game.

 

Grace Julieano worked a leadoff walk and went to second on Flynn’s single up the middle. Alger then reached on a bunt single to load the bases before Witherll singled down the first base line to plate Julieano. A wild pitch then scored Flynn to make it 5-5 going to the seventh.

 

Flynn did her job, retiring the side in order to get the Millionaires back in the dugout.

 

A Lenox team that has struggled to come up with timely hits – even in Tuesday’s quarter-final win – needed to show results from some extra emphasis on offense during practice.

 

“We just haven’t been hitting well the past several games,” Pires said. “I’m not sure what it is. But we just kept pushing through. Resilient. Cheering. And in the bottom of the seventh, we got the bunt and Grace with the walkoff double.”

 

First, Jackson, who went 0-for-3 in the nine hole, started the winning rally with a five-pitch walk.

 

Evelyn Julieano then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Jackson into scoring position and bring Grace Julieano to the plate.

 

“I was very nervous,” she said. “I could feel my heart pounding. But I knew I just needed to get it out in the outfield somewhere because Marki, who was on second, is fast. I just waited for my pitch and just hit it.”

 

Photos from this game to come.