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Mulligan pitches, hits Methuen to win

Thursday, May, 26 By Jeff Hamrick

METHUEN — Having already clinched its spot in the Division 1 playoffs for the 11th straight year, the Methuen softball team forced Andover to its regular-season finale to secure a berth of its own.

The Rangers relied on the pitching and hitting of Molly Mulligan and a solid infield defense to knock off the Golden Warriors in the opener of the 12th annual Methuen Invitational last night.

The Rangers (12-7) will go after their third consecutive Invitational title and seventh overall at 7 p.m. tomorrow against the winner of today’s 4 p.m. semifinal between Whittier and Lawrence. Andover (9-10) will play today’s loser at 5 p.m. tomorrow.

Not only did Mulligan earn her sixth victory in eight decisions with a one-hit complete game, but the senior also went 2 for 3 with a triple and three RBIs for the Rangers.

“I’m more excited about my pitching probably,” Mulligan said. “There’s nothing like pitching a good game. It’s like the best feeling. You can always tell in the warmups and once you get to that first inning. You go like ‘Yeah, this game is going to be good.’ ”

Mulligan, who didn’t allow an earned run while striking out nine and walking two, let Andover know early she’d be tough to get to, striking out three of the four batters she faced in the first. She then went on to strike out two in the second, third and fifth innings.

“It would be great to win this (tournament) as a senior absolutely,” Mulligan said. “I’ve watched it for four years, I want it this year.”

Methuen’s ace received ample support from shortstop Courtney Bradley, who was 3 for 4 and scored a pair of runs, and Nicole Perusse who was 2 for 2 with two runs and an RBI. On the night, five different Rangers drove in at least one run. They also proved they can manufacture runs during a six-run fourth that featured only two singles but also included three walks and a couple Andover errors.

“This is the time of year you want to be playing well,” said Methuen coach Jason Smith, whose squad has won five of its past seven. “We have a lot of speed and we stress that to make sure we’re making contact. Sometimes just by getting (opponents) to throw the ball, good things will happen.”

A Ranger infield led by shortstop Bradley also did its job, accounting for six assists and 15 putouts, including a game-ending double play.

Andover, which lost its third consecutive, now must win Saturday’s finale in order to advance.

“Obviously, we have one more game,” Warrior coach Steve Tisbert said. “I don’t want to look ahead to the playoffs ... We’ve had a tough stretch where we’ve played five games in six days and four games straight, so it’s been a tough road for us.”