Final 4 bound: Joseph Case softball blanks Archbishop Williams behind Hailey Berube's gem

SWANSEA — Offense has been the talk all season for the Joseph Case softball team.

As they had done throughout the 2022 postseason, the fourth-seeded Cardinals once again brought the lumber to the plate Friday. This time against fifth seed Archbishop Williams.

Now it's on to the Final 4.

"It is amazing to get to the Final 4," smiled Case pitcher Hailey Berube.

The Cardinals advanced to the Final 4 for the third consecutive season after blanking the Bishops, 8-0, in Friday's Division IV Elite 8 playoff game before a large gathering at Elizabeth S. Brown Elementary School.

With the victory, Case (18-4) will now face Littleton in a date and time to be determined.

"We can't say anything bad about Case today," Archbishop Williams head coach Charlie Conners said. "They earned the win."

Berube was nearly unhittable in the circle. The junior right-hander was a swinging bunt away from a perfect game. She allowed just the one hit, no walks and fanned a season-high 11 batters.

"Hailey [Berube] has been pitching fantastic," said Cardinals junior captain and catcher Olivia Silva, who contributed a two-run home run and RBI double said. "She came out and did the same thing she always does."

A five-run first inning was all Berube needed in the game.

Case sent nine batters to plate and scored five times to take the early lead. Doubles by Lexi Yost, Silva, Brooke Orton and Emera Marcello were loud hits in the inning off of Bishop starter Shelby Parr. Abigail Sirios also added an RBI single in the frame.

"Hailey [Berube] has been doing a fantastic job, keeping us in games," Cardinals head coach Shannon Silva said. "We've been talking about the offense getting their jobs done, coming in getting on top of teams early and get the momentum swinging our way early. The girls did a phenomenal job."

Silva's two-run home run in the second inning knocked out Parr from the game in favor of Jillian Ondrick. The freshman pitcher silenced the bats of Case until the Cardinals added another run in the sixth for an 8-0 cushion. Skye Dupre drove in the final run.

"I think our offense was on today like I've never seen before," Silva said. "We were hitting the crap of out the ball. We put it all out on the field today. I'm so happy for all of us."

Meanwhile it was a season to remember for the Bishops, who finished with a record of 16-8. Archbishop Williams had just three seniors and most of the team's makeup is made up of underclassmen.

"I think we had a great year," Conners said. "The girls were coming off a 6-14 year in 2021. It is a huge improvement, building blocks is how I explained it to the girls.

"Nerves got to us in the first few innings. A couple of errors we normally don't make. It was a big game for young girls. We live, we learn and move on to next year."

Emma Chenette had the lone hit for Archbishop Williams, but she was thrown out trying to steal second base by Silva.

"Every time we hit the ball hard, they made a great play defensively," Conner said. "She [Berube] was definitely on her game and she deserves it."

Now it's on to the bright lights for Case.

"All of nine of them in the starting lineup did something today," Shannon Silva said. "First Final 4 trophy in school history. If we play like we did today we are going to be alright."

Stats

Besides Silva's big game, Marcello and Yost each finished with a pair of hits. Megan Smith and Berube also had hits in the win.

Case has outscored its opponent 33-2 so far in the postseason. Berube tossed her second straight shutout in the circle.

Yost made a great defensive stop late in the game, diving to her right to knock down a ball and throw to first for the out.

Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Chezsports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Case softball blanks Archbishop Williams behind Hailey Berube's gem