North Attleboro Tops Stoughton High Softball

After scoring eight runs in their first four games (1-3) this season, the Stoughton High softball team’s offense was awakening as of late, with the team scoring 16 runs in their last three games (2-1) heading into Monday’s matchup against North Attleboro.

But, North Attleboro pitcher Meg Colleran kept the Black Knights off-balance with a complete game effort in the Red Rocketeers’ 8-1 win at Stoughton. The freshman went 7 innings, allowing just 2 hits and 1 run, while striking out 14 and walking 4. She struck out the side in the first, second and seventh innings.

With the loss Stoughton falls to 3-5 on the season.

Stoughton coach Janet Sullivan said Colleran had “tremendous speed, great location and tremendous control.”

“She kept us baffled all day,” Sullivan said. “She’d get the first strike in, then she’d climb the ladder and we seemed to chase her all day, so give her credit, she pitched great.”

“She was really fast and especially since we faced a slower pitcher [last] Thursday [] and had three days off, it was harder to face a faster pitcher,” right fielder Nicole Beauregard said.

Beauregard was the only Stoughton player to give Colleran fits. She collected both of Stoughton’s hits, going 2 for 2 with a single, a double, a stolen base and a run scored. She walked in her other at bat, reaching base three times.

North Attleboro scattered 12 hits, scoring 8 runs in 7 innings against Stoughton pitchers Jess Olans and Nicole Hayner.

The Red Rocketeers did the majority of their damage in the second and third innings, scoring three runs on three hits in the second and four runs on five hits in the third.

Trailing 8-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Stoughton scored their lone run. Beauregard singled to lead off the inning and Olans walked. With one out, Kelsey Moriarty grounded out to drive in Beauregard.

In the bottom of the seventh, Megan Flaherty walked and Beauregard doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs, but Colleran ended the Stoughton threat with three consecutive strikeouts.

“This team is very resilient. We’ve had some good games this year, this was probably our weakest showing so far, and yet there were still some very good things we saw out there,” Sullivan said.

“[We had] some good at bats, kids climbing out of 0-2 counts, some good defense—particularly the outfield I thought played well today—and Molly Zuk always does a great job behind the plate for us.”

Sullivan also gave credit to Beauregard, who she called the “player of the game,” and to Flaherty for her play at shortstop and Emily Cramer, who came in and played the last three innings at first base.

Stoughton travels to Sharon on Wednesday for a 3:30 p.m. game.