BY SAPNA PATHAK

They know what “Salem softball” means. They’re well aware they’ll see every opponent’s best effort.

They’ve raised a championship plaque in celebration as the best team in the league.

But don’t mistake them for the Salem High Blue Devils.

While SHS softball has seen plenty of state titles, the girls of Woodbury Middle School have carved their own niche among perennial softball contenders.

This year, the Warriors faced off against Londonderry for the Tri-County League Class L championship on June 1.

Woodbury, the only team to beat Londonderry in the regular season, relinquished the title in a 2-1 extra-inning loss after storming through McKelvie Middle School, 14-0, in the semifinals.

“We were nervous because we knew the first game was close and they’d come ready and in full force,” said shortstop Alex Borrelli. “Everybody wants to beat us because we’re Salem. Some people just think that the high school is really good, but then they hear about us being good, too.”

Borrelli drove in the Warriors’ only run on a single to right field, scoring outfielder Lauren Mazzeleni in the bottom of the fourth inning. The score stayed tied at 1-1 until Londonderry scored the winning run in its half of the eighth.

“The top of the order was up (in the bottom of the eighth),” said eighth-grader Stephanie Cabral. “So we thought we could score a run or maybe two and we could win the championship again. It was just upsetting to see the other team so happy about winning the championship.”

Cabral finished her three-year career at Woodbury as head coach Rino Beninati’s strongest overall player. A backup pitcher in sixth grade, Cabral anchored the rotation her second year. This season, she split time between third base, the outfield and the mound.

“She’s my best hitter, my best base runner. When she’s not pitching, I’ve got to find a way to keep her in the lineup,” said Beninati. “We don’t have captains, but she led us. Her and the other eighth-graders were good leaders the whole year through.”

Outfielders Samantha Bolduc, Julia Cone and Mazzeleni graduate this year, leaving a core of seventh-graders hungry to reclaim the title.

Borrelli and second baseman Sarah Frahm should lead the charge next season.

Catcher Stephanie Long will return for her second season, while hurlers Brittney Hall and Nicole Gubellini provide the 2008 squad with pitching depth.

Hall stepped in as a sixth-grader in the last year’s championship, earning the win after Cabral was
injured. Gubellini brings power to the rotation, complementing Hall’s great command.

Sixth-graders Rachel Morrissey and Samantha Cloutier also return to next year’s lineup.

“We won it last year with six sixth-graders,” said Beninati. “So most of these girls have played in, and won, the title before. They’ve got the experience and maturity needed to bounce back even stronger next year. If you ask them, that’s exactly what they’re planning on.”