DARTMOUTH — Silver Lake is aware of it doesn’t want a lot offense with the best way Delaney Moquin pitches.
The highest-seeded Lakers obtained the run they wanted in Thursday’s Division 2 state softball semifinal towards No. 5 Westfield and Moquin took care of the remaining.
The Fairfield-bound senior ace was downright spectacular within the pitching circle, tossing a complete-game, two-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts to propel Silver Lake (21-3) to its first state closing since 2015 with a 1-0 win over the Bombers at UMass Dartmouth.
The dominance from Moquin was nothing new. She has allowed only one run and struck out an astonishing 52 batters throughout Silver Lake’s 4 match video games.
“She’s a participant that each time she takes the sphere, it’s going to be one other chapter to an important story,” Silver Lake coach Tony Pina mentioned. “As we speak was an ideal instance of that. … Delaney did what Delaney all the time does and we had simply sufficient.”
Silver Lake wanted one of the best out of Moquin instantly when Westfield (17-7) loaded the bases with one out within the prime of the primary.
The scenario wasn’t an excessive amount of for Moquin, who struck out the following two batters she confronted to get out of the jam.
“Personally, I work higher beneath strain,” Moquin mentioned. “So, if there’s somewhat little bit of strain on me, I take advantage of that to my benefit.”
Moquin and Westfield star pitcher Shea Hurley (six innings, 4 hits, one stroll, 9 strikeouts) dueled from there and the one blemish for Hurley got here within the backside of the fourth when senior second baseman Addison Willett delivered the game-deciding hit for the Lakers with two outs and two strikes.
Willett, who stopped getting at-bats throughout for the second half of the season earlier than getting them again within the match, took a changeup from Hurley up the center and Anna Craft raced round from second to attain the sport’s solely run.
“I form of anticipated it as a result of I knew to attend on it. It’s a good suggestion,” Willett mentioned of getting a changeup in that scenario. “(I used to be) simply so excited. So hyped. Simply to see Anna coming dwelling, that was simply superior.”
That was sufficient for Moquin, who retired 20 of the ultimate 22 batters she confronted. And it now units up a showdown between Moquin and Bedford’s sensational pitcher Alyx Rossi within the state closing.
“We all know Bedford and Rossi. We all know what we’re up towards,” Pina mentioned. “We obtained to beat Rossi, however they’ve obtained to beat Delaney Moquin. I’m placing cash on Delaney as a result of I do know her coronary heart, I understand how she works laborious at this sport.”
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