Lenox softball shuts out Lee, remains unbeaten through seven games (photos)

LENOX ― The Millionaires are rolling.

And from the outside looking in, the team is quickly adjusting to its new reality.

On Wednesday, No. 10 Lenox softball secured a combined no-hitter against No. 16 Lee, 4-0.

This marks the Millionaires’ seventh victory in a row to open the season, the best start in program history by a large margin.

The Millionaires have done well the past two years, climbing out of slow starts and still finishing with a winning record.

But the team began this season with a collective commitment to an aggressive approach, and it’s certainly paying dividends.

“We’re very excited; this is, I think, the first time we’ve ever had a string of wins like this in program history,” Lenox softball coach Amy Pires said after the game. “Coming out and beating Lee (twice) and then Drury, (whom) we hadn’t beaten since 2018, then coming out and winning against a really good Pittsfield team (on Monday), and we had never beat them in program history.

“We’re really, really excited, and we just remind the girls (in) practice – none of the games are really going to get any easier, and we just remind them, we’re just taking one game at a time.”

The Millionaires went in front in the opening inning when Evelyn Julieano cleverly stole home base, a well-calculated risk by the freshman starting pitcher despite having two outs in the inning.

Julieano’s aggression would be described as reckless for most other base runners. But with her unique combination of awareness, reflexes, and speed, Julieano can get away with much more and use it to her fullest advantage.

“Base running is mostly (about) smartness on the base paths,” Julieano said.

“You have to know the catcher, how fast the pitch is going – with (Brianna Lynch), she has good speed, so I know that I have to take off as soon as that pitch is right on her hip, and then I just have to know where I’m going (until) I hear my third base coach saying to go (home) or not.”

The Wildcats’ offense struggled for hits all afternoon, but they consistently got runners on base, forcing six walks on the day. Julieano worked through the pressure with relative ease, securing five strikeouts in six innings of no-hit work.

Cassidy Flynn pitched the final inning for Lenox in relief and wrapped the game without issue.

She added insurance runs in the third with an RBI single before scoring off an error after stealing third base, extending the Millionaires’ lead to three.

Lilly MacDonald tacked on another run in the sixth with an RBI double to left field, bringing in Julieano for her third run scored of the day.

MacDonald made another key contribution in the seventh when she quickly reacted to a sharply hit ground ball to her at second, scooping up the ball and tagging out the runner before throwing it to first for the nifty double play.

“The ball just came to me, and I saw (the runner) right there, so I tagged her out, and then she took my glove off with her, so I turned around and threw it to (Grace Julieano at first).”

This was not the only key moment of a good defense for the Millionaires, as they pulled off two double plays and ended the first inning with a rundown between third and home.

“It feels great (seeing the defense make plays) because I know that if I miss a pitch and they hit it, I know my defense will put all their effort in to get that ball in and prevent extra bases from being taken from us,” Evelyn Julieano said.

Lenox (7-0) will look to maintain this momentum when the Millionaires take on Gateway on Friday, April 25, at 4 p.m.

“We do have a long way to go,” Evelyn Julieano said. “(So it’s important) keeping this momentum by showing up for practice, putting everything we have into it and hoping we keep pushing.”

Lee (2-5) will look to snap its three-game losing streak when the Wildcats take on Smith Voc. on Monday, April 28, at the same scheduled time.

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