Flaherty's Slam Propels Stoughton High Softball Past Sharon

Trailing Sharon 2-0, the fourth inning rally started with small ball—a walk and back-to-back bunt singles—and ended with Megan Flaherty crushing a grand slam home run to deep right center field.

Stoughton scored nine runs in the bottom of the fourth turning a two-run deficit into a seven-run lead.

All nine runs were scored before Sharon recorded the first out in the bottom of the fourth. All nine batters scored for Stoughton in the inning.

The Black Knights went on to win 10-5 Wednesday afternoon at home, withstanding a seventh inning rally from the Eagles. Stoughton is now 5-5 on the season, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Nicole Barton walked to start the fourth. Then pitcher Emily Cramer reached on a bunt single, advancing Barton to second. Samantha Mattie followed with a bunt single, which scored Barton to cut the Sharon lead to 2-1. Mattie advanced to second on an overthrow, with pinch runner Jess Freitas advancing to third.

The next batter, Payton Pizzano, gave Stoughton the lead, 3-2. Her single drove in two.

Kelsey Moriarty singled and then Jordan Angelos singled, driving in one. Michelle Bisbee was hit by a pitch and then Nicole Hayner singled to shallow centerfield, scoring one to put Stoughton up 5-2.

“Their pitcher [Kelsey Whiting] did a nice job. She kept us scoreless for a number of innings and so we went to small ball and we put down two consecutive bunts that went for singles. That kind of broke it open,” Stoughton coach Janet Sullivan said. “Then we started hitting away and had hit after hit after hit.”

Then Flaherty stepped up, still with no outs in the inning and the bases loaded. The junior captain hit a drive deep to right center field scoring Angelos, Bisbee and Hayner. Flaherty rounded third and crossed the plate, beating the throw and completing the inside-the-park grand slam.

“That was a shot,” Sullivan said of Flaherty’s hit. “There was no doubt I was sending her [home] from the second she left the [batter’s] box.”

“Megan Flaherty coming up with the bases loaded is not the kid you want at the dish with the bases loaded and she showed us why we don’t want that,” Sharon coach Deb Parker said.

Sharon got out of the fourth inning and except for one run in the sixth, kept Stoughton off the board.

“We had good consistent swings at the plate [in the fourth inning]. People were aggressive at the plate. That one inning pretty much carried us. We didn’t do too much the rest of the game,” Sullivan said.

“Overall it was a great game. We had some great defense, we had enough offense, and we did a good job on the mound,” Sullivan added.

Down 10-2 heading into the final inning, Sharon scored three times in the top of the seventh (Allie Friedman, Jenna Kubiak and Whitney scored). But the comeback effort came up short.

Stoughton travels to Canton on Friday, looking to climb above the .500 mark.

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The JV softball team defeated Sharon 12-6 on Wednesday. Alexa Ploss, Rachel Estremera and Danielle Tesler had 3 hits each. Lauren Carmichael picked up the win on the mound.