WOBURN –The Lynn Senior Little League Softball All-Star team overpowered Woburn to earn a 10-4 win, and a spot in the state tournament championship game next weekend at Gonsalves Park in Woburn.
“A total team effort,” Lynn manager Chad Wilkins said. “All 13 girls chipped in tonight which is what I love as a manager, to have them all a part of the game and a part of the win.
“It’s a great win against a real tough Woburn team,” Wilkins added. “This is the fourth year in a row we have played Woburn, we’ve won twice and they’ve won twice, so it’s always great when we play them. It’s an accomplishment beating them.”
At the plate Lynn was led by Julia Nickolau (3-for-4) who scored three runs and Abby Fila (1-for-2 with two walks) who had two RBI. Reese Brinkler (2-for-4), Molly Mannion (1-for-1) and Amanda Wilkins (1-for-2 with a walk and sacrifice fly) each also added one RBI.
Fila also pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and recording three strikeouts while walking two batters. Lily Newhall came in for the final 3 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits. Newhall recorded three strikeouts while walking one batter and hitting another with a pitch.
“Our pitching and defense has been perfect through all these games,” Wilkins said. “We’ve made all the routine plays and some of the tough plays, our pitching has been spot on.”
Lynn got on the board early in the first inning. Nickolau started the inning with a single and, after stealing second, scored on an error on a fly ball to shallow center field. Another error put runners at the corners for Lynn, who scored after a bad throw on an attempt to throw a runner out stealing second base to go up 2-0. Later in the inning Fila drove in two runs on a RBI single to put Lynn up 4-0.
Two more runs were added in the second inning by Lynn thanks to hits by Brinkler and Nickolau and more Woburn errors. An errant throw to first base brought Brinkler home while Nickolau scored from third on a bad throw after a successful pick off attempt at first to put Lynn ahead 6-0.
Lynn added one run in the third inning and another in the fourth thanks to a double steal and a sacrifice fly by Amanda Wilkins.
After a near-perfect first three innings Fila ran into trouble in the fourth. Woburn recorded four consecutive singles with two outs in the inning to cut its deficit to 8-3. Newhall came in with the bases loaded to strike out the next batter and get Lynn out of the jam.
Lynn put the game out of hand in the fifth inning thanks to a RBI single from Brinkler to make the score 10-3.
Newhall allowed one run in the fifth inning but made quick work of Woburn’s lineup in the last two innings to seal Lynn’s 10-4 win and advance to the state championship game next weekend.
“It feels awesome, it feels real good,” Wilkins said. “It’s a great accomplishment, these girls have been working hard for about three weeks now almost everyday so its well deserved.”
