The last time Wilson played Exeter, the Bulldogs committed five errors and lost to the Eagles by one run.
Less than two weeks later, Wilson entered the rematch with Exeter poised to make up for past mistakes.
“We were super upset about the loss against them last time,” Bulldogs senior Meghan Farrell said. “We definitely beat ourselves.”
On Thursday, the only team Wilson beat was the Eagles.
The Bulldogs responded with a dominant 10-0 win over Exeter in six innings in a Berks Softball League Division I game at Reiffton.
“We needed to beat Exeter for our own confidence,” Wilson coach Gregg Kramer said. “Over the years, we’ve been having trouble beating Exeter.”
The Bulldogs (5-1, 11-2) leaned on the arm of pitcher Meghan Farrell, who tossed her ‘best game of the year,’ according to Kramer. Meghan Farrell tossed six shutout innings, allowing four hits in the win.
“Getting her changeup going early was key for her,” Kramer said. “Once she got the changeup in there a few times, she knew she had it. She was just rolling from there. She was dealing, hitting spots all day.”
Meghan Farrell allowed no walks and struck out seven batters. The shutout victory was her second of the season.
“Instead of trying to just overthrow, I just hit my spots and let everything go the way it was supposed to go,” Meghan Farrell said. “(I) let my defense have my back.”
Wilson’s offense produced big innings, scoring three in the third inning and six in the fifth. The Bulldogs capitalized on three consecutive Exeter (6-1, 10-3) errors to score three unearned runs in the third and take a 3-0 lead.
“I’m just really proud of this team,” Kramer said. “I’m very proud of them for adjusting right away to the pitching.”
Junior Madi Farrell extended Wilson’s lead to 5-0 in the fifth with a two-run home run off of Eagles pitcher Mackenzie O’Brien, who took the loss. The first baseman, Madi Farrell finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
“I just was focusing on getting the ball in play on the ground somewhere, not even trying to get it in the air,” Madi Farrell said about the home run. “I think just because I was calm during that at-bat and relaxing, I just got a good hit.”
The homer sparked a rally, as a single from Kaya Werley allowed two more runs to score. Tatum Werley followed two batters later with another two-run single, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 9-0.
“This has been all season for us, scoring a lot of runs,” Kramer said. “I expect it every game at this point.”
Second baseman Leah Berkis hit an RBI single in the sixth to make it 10-0 and give the Bulldogs the victory via the 10-run mercy rule. In total, eight different Wilson players recorded a hit and eight scored at least one run.
“Now they know that every inning, (we) can’t step back at all,” Kramer said. “We got to stay composed.”
With the win, the Bulldogs now trail the first-place Eagles by just a half-game in the Berks I standings. If the two teams finish the regular season tied for first place, the tie will be broken via District 3 power rating.
“We’re super excited,” Meghan Farrell said. “We knew we could beat them.”
And now, the Bulldogs believe they can compete with the top teams in Berks and potentially beyond.
“This definitely shows us that we’re a good team,” Madi Farrell said. “We’re better than we think. If we just keep on pushing, we can definitely beat better teams.”
Source: Berkshire mont