RallyNorth.net

LYNN | Some losses are harder to take than others | and the 6-3 loss that the Danvers High softball team suffered at Lynn Classical Saturday in the Division 1 North playoffs was especially difficult for the visitors.

Danvers High's incomparable senior shortstop, Ashley Burnham, is giving new meaning to the word "unstoppable." Opposing teams can't contain her offensively | she's hitting .673 with four homers, 13 doubles and 16 RBIs | so they're trying to slow her down by giving her free passes to first base.

DANVERS | One team was dying for payback. The other team was looking to nail down a state tournament berth.

It made for magnificent drama and Danvers eventually received its payback Wednesday afternoon.

Everyone knows about Danvers' fantastic shortstop, Ashley Burnham, who is headed for Division 1 James Madison next season. But Falcons coach Tara Petrocelli has also been impressed with freshman Alicia Dean, who was 2-for-3 in an 8-1 win over Salem this week.

The Falcons (9-4) scored seven unanswered runs to erase a 2-0 deficit and trump Lynn English, 7-2. Caraline Moholland hit a two-run single in the third to jumpstart Danvers, which also saw Kim Leonard go 2 for 2 with three runs scored and Ashley Burnham score twice and drive in a run. Diana Bean added two hits and pitched 5<2/3>'s innings with three strikeouts.

Diana Bean pitched six spotless innings, allowing just three baserunners and no runs as the Falcons (6-3) walked away with it, 12-0 over Revere. Ashley Burnham paced the offense by going 4 for 4 with four runs scored, four RBI and a two-run homer in the fourth. Caraline Moholland added a clutch triple and was 3 for 4 with two runs as the Falcons racked up 18 hits.

DANVERS | Nicole Wilson delivered a message that should resonate throughout Northeastern Conference circles yesterday: she and her Peabody High teammates are a power to be reckoned with.

The sophomore used an array of pitches to keep Danvers hitters off balance all afternoon, striking out a dozen while scattering just four hits as the Tanners bested the host Falcons, 7-3, at windy Great Oak Field.

There are many different ways to celebrate an extra-innings victory over an undefeated archrival.

The Gloucester softball team decided to take part in a dance to the electric slide after their 5-4 victory over Danvers at Burnham's field. The Fishermen (5-3) had been waiting to bust out the line dance, and a win over Danvers was the perfect time to do it.

Playing alongside shortstop Ashley Burnham, who is one of the best players in the state, it's easy for Danvers High sophomore third baseman Joanna Zecha to get overlooked. But Zecha is playing brilliantly in her own right and is appreciated by her teammates and coaches.

Diana Bean was nearly flawless, allowing just an unearned run over seven innings to lead the Falcons (4-1, 4-0 NEC) over Saugus 6-1. Alicia Dean had a two-run triple in the third to give Bean all the support she would need while Ashley Burnham was 3-for-4 with three runs scored.