Strike 3 (times 500): Pembroke softball ace hits career milestone

PEMBROKE -- When you're an underclassman pitcher dipping your toe into playoff waters for the first time, it can take a few innings to settle down and find your groove.

Or, you can plunge right in and start mowing them down.

That's exactly what Pembroke's Kelly McGee did in the spring of 2022. Just a sophomore back then, she displayed absolutely no stage fright, striking out 10 of the first 16 batters she faced in her playoff debut. McGee and the Titans didn't get the win that day as Milton turned to bunting to scratch out a 2-1 win in the Division 2 Round of 32.

But McGee certainly impressed ... and hinted at what was to come.

"I remember that it was a tough loss," McGee said, "but I remember that we all worked our hardest. Striking out 10 of the first 16, that was a catalyst (for me). It's OK that we came up short. We're a much bigger and better team now, I think, so we're definitely going to have more success (in this year's playoffs)."

McGee, who had played in the outfield as a freshman, grew into an All-Scholastic pitcher last spring when she fashioned a 1.72 ERA and struck out 219 batters over 142 innings, throwing a no-hitter against Scituate along the way.

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This year has been more of the same for her. On Monday she threw a 2-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts in a 6-0 win over Falmouth that clinched a Division 3 playoff berth for the Titans (10-3). She improved her personal record to 9-2 this season and lowered her ERA to 2.39.

Oh, and she also recorded the 500th strikeout of her career.

"I've been pitching since my sophomore year, so just being able to hit that milestone means a lot," McGee said. "And having my teammates behind me to support me is even better."

"Five hundred career strikeouts for her today, I'm very happy for her," said first-year Pembroke coach Brittney Noons, a former Bridgewater State University assistant coach. "She works so hard. She's an absolute gamer; I tell her that all the time. She's a warrior for us. Last week she pitched four games for us and then she came right back and did it again today."

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Falmouth (7-4) managed one baserunner (on a walk) through the first four innings against McGee, who throws a riseball, curveball and screwball and says, "I throw mostly spin pitches. That's what I specialize in."

The Clippers got a pair of infield singles in the fifth, but McGee fanned pinch-hitter Natasha Bradshaw for the final out with runners on second and third to preserve a 4-0 lead.

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"Kelly's performance is always on top," senior center fielder Maria Cantino raved. "There's never a day that we don't have faith in her. We always step on the field and have the best energy with her on the mound."

"She's really been lights out for us," agreed senior left fielder Ava Dunphy, who made a shoestring catch of Kaylee Shaw's sinking liner leading off the game that was Falmouth's only well-hit ball of the day. "She's essential. She's our backbone. Our energy comes off her. Her pitching is what we need in this league. Especially going into the playoffs it's going to be a really big part of our play."

Cantino, batting cleanup, provided an early spark with a two-out RBI triple in the first inning that scored Olivia Skeiber from second base. "Just another hit," said Cantino, who came in batting .405 with 9 RBIs.

Pembroke broke it open with a 3-run third inning highlighted by Dunphy's RBI triple. The Titans' other two runs came home on wild pitches. Pembroke was a terror on the bases, taking 11 extra bases on wild pitches, passed balls and steals. "Our coaches really highlight that offensive mentality when we're on the basepaths," Dunphy said.

"It's something that we definitely have been working on – being aggressive on the bases, getting good jumps, reading balls in the dirt," Noons said. "Even if it's not a passed ball (we emphasize) getting a good jump on a ball in the dirt; that can throw off a catcher so much."

The Titans also can bunt. Number 8 hitter Emily Alexander laid down two perfect sacrifices, and No. 9 hitter Abigail Graham plated Grace Baker with a squeeze bunt in the fourth.

With a well-rounded lineup and McGee in the circle, the Titans project to be a tough out in the Div. 3 playoff field. They've dropped down from Div. 2, where last spring they won a preliminary round game before falling to eventual champ Burlington in the Round of 32.

Said Cantino: "I have big faith in us making it far in the playoffs."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Pembroke High softball pitcher Kelly McGee records 500th strikeout