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Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Addie Willett and Delaney Moquin send Silver Lake softball to Division 2 championship with clutch performances
Delaney Moquin was her usual self in the circle, working a shutout with 15 strikeouts. Even in an atypical first-inning jam, with two on and nobody out, the Fairfield commit responded with three strikeouts. Advertisement 'It hasn't set in yet, but it's definitely going to be hard to go to bed tonight,' Moquin said. 'We're ready for it. I work better under pressure, so when there's a little bit of pressure on me I use that to my advantage.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up It will be a pitching matchup for the ages in the D2 championship game, as Moquin and the Lakers take on Gatorade Player of the Year Alyx Rossi and third-seeded Bedford (21-3). Division 1 state Wachusett 5, Lincoln-Sudbury 1 — Does momentum exist? Sure felt like it. With two on, one out and trailing by a run in the sixth inning, Lincoln-Sudbury had a prime opportunity to push at least a run across. Kelsey Blanchette flared a line drive back up the middle. Wachusett senior shortstop Ella Snyder's instincts kicked in, darting to snag the ball and tag second base, ending the inning in a flash. Advertisement In the bottom of the sixth, Wachusett plated three runs, cutting off the Warriors' hopes of a comeback. Thanks to a game-changing sixth inning, No. 2 Wachusett bested No. 6 Lincoln-Sudbury (18-6) in the semifinals at Worcester State. The Mountaineers (22-2) will play in their first title game since 2021 against four-time defending champion, top-ranked Taunton (24-0) Saturday at Worcester State at a time to be announced. Lincoln Sudbury's Eliana Krasnow (2) was doubled up at second by Wachusett shortstop Ella Snyder during a key play in the sixth inning. Heather Diehl for the Boston Glo 'Everyone's on their toes for anything,' said Snyder, who is committed to Worcester State. 'The bat hits the ball and you're jumping.' Senior pitcher Shayna Bakun, who will play at Westfield State, was in control the entire way. She allowed six hits and a walk with five strikeouts. 'We really focused on the outside, hitting the corners, and giving them something that they could put the bat on but not really be successful with — and it worked,' said Bakun. Wachusett first baseman Isobel Connor and shortstop Ella Snyder embrace earning a spot in the Division 1 championship game. Heather Diehl for the Boston Glo The Mountaineers scored two in the first, with sophomore Cassie Wilkins and senior Tiegan Walsh crossing home on a fielder's choice and an ensuing error. McKenzie Caron, a Stonehill-bound senior, started off the sixth with a double. Caron and Bakun scored via an error before Snyder plated Giana Johanson, a Salem State commit, with a single to right field. 'I knew it was a matter of time,' said first-year Wachusett coach Kathryn Putnam. 'We were making contact with the ball, one through nine in the lineup. We just had to put the pieces together. They seriously feed off of each other with momentum. They fight and they fight and they fight. No one does it better than them.' Advertisement Blanchette, headed to UMass Amherst, blasted a solo home run in the top of the second for the Warriors' lone run. She allowed four hits and a walk, striking out three in the loss. Division 3 state Dighton-Rehoboth 4, Nipmuc 0 — It wasn't easy, but the repeat bid is still alive for Dighton-Rehoboth. The top-seeded Falcons battled to a 4-0 victory over fifth-seeded Nipmuc in the Division 3 semifinals behind a stellar outing from sophomore ace Edy Latour, who tossed an eight-strikeout shutout at UMass Dartmouth. 'This group knew what it would take to get [back],' said D-R coach Katie Holmes. 'Had to rebuild a little bit, but they came out, and I'm just so proud of them for getting there.' After striking out four of the first five Nipmuc batters, Latour drove in game's first run with a second-inning single. Isabella Moss's RBI double added some insurance in the fifth, and the Falcons (23-2) held it down on defense, not committing an error against Nipmuc (21-3). 'I definitely get nervous a bit, but I'm a little more used to it after last year,' Latour said. 'I felt way more confident coming into this game. I feel like I still do what I do, it's the same thing, but just my confidence [has improved].' The reigning champs have one last hurdle to cap off a dream season: 10th-seededSouth Coast rival Greater New Bedford (18-8) in the state championship. The Falcons won both regular-season matchups, 4-0 on April 28 and 15-1 on May 10. Division 4 state Joseph Case 13, Hampshire Regional 0 — Lila Alvarez led off the game with a single. Two batters later, Bre Fontes brought her home with a single up the middle. Advertisement That's all the run support that Alvarez needed. But the Cardinals sophomore received plenty more to aid her dominance. Alvarez hurled a one-hitter, striking out 10 and walking two as fourth-seeded Joseph Case knocked out top-seeded Hampshire (22-2) for the third-straight year, this time a 13-0 drubbing in the Division 4 semifinals at Worcester State. Coach Shannon Silva and the Cardinals had plenty to celebrate as they took care of business against Hampshire. Heather Diehl for the Boston Glo The Cardinals (18-6) will face No. 6 Tyngsborough (20-4) in a rematch of last year's title game on Saturday at a time and venue to be announced. Alvarez carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, spinning her screwball and curveball all across the plate. 'She's nasty,' said Fontes, a senior catcher. 'She's a great pitcher and I have the absolute pleasure of being behind the plate for her. It's amazing. I've never seen somebody do it like her.' Joseph Case coach Shannon Silva described her pitcher as 'phenomenal.' 'She's just a gamer,' said Silva. 'When she's on the big stage, she does rise up.' 'Those games give me the highest adrenaline and I like to compete,' echoed Alvarez. Hampshire first baseman Teagan Charles felt the emotion of her season coming to a close. Heather Diehl for the Boston Glo In four consecutive frames, the Cardinals scored at least one run with two outs. Alvarez reached base five times, scoring thrice. Fontes tallied four RBIs on three singles. Senior captain Skye Dupre and sophomore Olivia Williams each supplied three runs and an RBI. Fellow senior captain Ella Preston recorded two RBIs and two runs. The Cardinals only struck out once. Division 5 State Greenfield 7, Hopedale 0 — MacKenzie Paulin finished with 18 strikeouts to send the second-seeded Green Wave (18-6) to the state title game where they'll face the defending champion and top-seeded Turners Falls (20-4), a rematch of the 2023 final that saw Greenfield raise the banner. Greenfield scored five runs in the first inning at Westfield State to stake Paulin to a comfortable lead. Advertisement Cam Kerry reported from Worcester and Ethan Kagno contributed. Joe Eachus can be reached at
Cosmopolitan
03-06-2025
- Health
- Cosmopolitan
Dating as a Trans Person with Agoraphobic Anxiety Is Even Harder Than It Sounds
Welcome to "Ella and the City"—a new column by Ella Snyder about what it's like to date as a trans person in New York City today. I was in seventh grade the first time I felt anxiety. It was 2011—my first year being Ella. I was going to a new school, with a new name, new pronouns, and a new wardrobe, and it was both exciting and terrifying at the same time. I would break down hysterically with nausea on the morning drives to school, my transition resulting in bullying that still haunts me to this day—getting my phone stolen from my locker during gym class, receiving online death threats from neighborhood boys. My morning stomach aches grew to last full days, and while my anxiety eventually got better, it still affects me 14 years later. I'm currently 26 years old, single, and on multiple occasions over the last year, I've been too anxious to leave my apartment, let alone date. In a world where the trans community's right to exist is constantly under attack, I've become too nervous to make eye contact with people, much less hold a conversation or even attempt to flirt. The aftermath of the pandemic, followed by the re-election of Donald Trump in 2024, re-instilled my old fears and stripped me of my confidence. Turns out, constantly seeing your community as the target of hateful rhetoric will do that to you. This time, my anxiety took the form of agoraphobia. Sometimes for weeks, every attempt to leave my apartment brings on debilitating panic attacks. Whenever my anxiety gets too severe, I can't get groceries or take walks. I can't handle my basic needs without having a 'safe person' around—a parent, friend, or roommate. I spend days on end feeling exhausted and defeated, growing frustrated by my increased reliance on those around me, trying anything to get back to feeling 'normal.' With the guidance of my therapist, the perfect cocktail of prescription meds, and continued exposure therapy (growing from neighborhood walks to solo excursions on the bus, and increasing the challenge every outing), I've learned how to return to a functional state after any new episode. I'm now at the point where I can leave my house again, go to work, tolerate discomfort, socialize, and get through my days on my own, without debilitating anxiety. Despite my ability to cope and move on from these episodes, my dating life has truly taken a hit. The whole thing has become progressively more daunting. Being told that I'm not a woman, or that my body is their choice, or that there are only 'two genders' hasn't exactly been driving my desire to meet guys. It's exhausting swiping through an endless sea of incompatible, MAGA merch-wearing randos and Andrew Tate stans on dating apps. Not knowing how someone is going to react to my history given today's political climate has made an already-scary process even scarier. For a while, I felt like I just couldn't do it. At the height of my reignited anxiety, I'd ask myself how I was supposed to find true love or make it to a first date when I couldn't even walk out the door. I'd also judge myself for wanting to be wanted, while being a version of myself who 'wasn't ready' for it. Then again, the added layer of constantly doing the work to spot red flags and fend for my safety, scouring the internet for info on every match to avoid being hate-crimed, definitely didn't help. It led me to wonder if, subconsciously, I didn't actually plan on meeting anyone IRL, instead mindlessly pushing the algorithms of Hinge and Raya to their limit on my couch just to indulge in the fantasy. That was until I connected with *Sebastian on Instagram nine months ago. Worldly, mysterious, and alluring in a Gatsby-ish way, he played classical piano and spoke of studying with monks in a zen monastery, and I felt like there was a lot I could potentially learn from him. After planning through every worst case scenario in my head, my desire to change in order to make this real connection began to exceed my fear. Right then and there, I decided I wanted to show up for myself in a new way; that I wanted my world to stop shrinking. I finally felt ready to be the version of myself who was ready to date, even if that meant surrendering to whatever physical sensations of fear might arise along the way. So, after running circles around each other for weeks, cancelling and rescheduling over and over again, Sebastian and I finally planned for a casual stroll around my neighborhood. That way if things got panicky, I'd be able to run home. On the day of our date, Sebastian said he needed to reschedule again. We agreed to meet the following day. When I texted him in the morning to confirm our plans and didn't hear back from him, I was sure he was ghosting me—catastrophizing in the ambiguity. Was this some sort of wicked karma? Was the universe punishing me for wasting the time of so many dating app guys when I wasn't ready? Now that I was ready, surely getting ghosted was my penance! The anxiety started to trickle in as my mind raced with the thought that I had somehow scared him away. When I finally heard from him a week later, he said he had some family drama and apologized for not getting back to me sooner. We never ended up meeting. Still, that would-be date with Sebastian sparked a change in me that couldn't be stifled again, and even though things between us didn't work out, I didn't let it prevent me from putting myself out there. Months later, my drive to connect continues to transcend my most irrational fears. My swipes on dating apps are more intentional these days, and I make an effort to have real conversations with guys who already know I'm trans—it's explicitly stated on my profiles. And yes, I've been going on dates. In person! Without rescheduling, sometimes! (Please clap.) I do still get anxious, but I can also slow down enough to ground myself in reality and realize I'm safe. On dates, I try to stay present, asking questions and actually listening to responses. If I get nervous, I pay attention to my breathing and try to slow it down, keeping in mind everything I learned when my anxiety was at its worst. I list what I can see, smell, and hear. I pick a neutral sensation in my body (like the feeling in my big toe) and focus on that. I tell myself that I'm strong and capable of so much more than my anxiety would like me to believe. I'll say, the pre-date stomach aches never go away, but I know I'm better off going, living through a new experience, and possibly making a connection than I am cancelling. I know closing myself off and making my world smaller never did me any favors. Right now, I'd rather sit in my discomfort than risk staying the same and losing out on the chance to find love. *Name has been changed.
