ESPNBoston.com's softball Top 25

Updated: May 17, 2013, 7:31 PM ET
ESPNBoston.com Staff

Top 25 MIAA softball poll, as selected by our panel of staff writers, correspondents and area coaches (updated 5/17).

Team Name Record Last week's
ranking 		Notes
1. Bridgewater-Raynham (15-0) 1 Sarah Dawson spun her eighth shutout of the season while the Trojans clinched the Old Colony League title in a victory over Dartmouth.
2. Milford (16-1) 3 Since their streak-ending loss to North Attleborough, the Scarlet Hawks have now pieced together a six-game win streak and have only allowed a run.
3. Hudson (16-0) 4 The Hawks sewed up the Mid-Wach B title, sweeping the season from second-place Nashoba.
4. Concord-Carlisle (15-0) 8 The Patriots move to their high-water mark in the poll, sporting an undefeated record while most teams in our poll suffered losses last week.
5. Holy Name (15-1) 7 Kelsey Saucier and Jill Kilcoyne have combined to register an ERA lower than 1.00 in the circle for the Naps this season.
6. Sandwich (15-0) 17 The Blue Knights make their highest-ever showing in the poll after clinching the Atlantic Coast League title with a win over Cape rival Falmouth last week.
7. Leicester (15-1) 23 Ashley George's two-run triple is all the Wolverines would need to squeak out a 2-1 win over Top 10 opponent, Grafton.
8. Grafton (16-2) 6 Tara FaFord has continued producing at the plate, leading SWCL hitters with 27 RBI through last week, according to the Telegram & Gazette.
9. Coyle-Cassidy (13-3) 16 This is where the Top 25 starts to get interesting, with practically all teams ranked in the mid-teens suffering losses last week. We're moving the Warriors into this spot on the merit of their second straight win over King Philip.
10. King Philip (14-3) 9 The Warriors continued their dominance of Hockomock rival North Attleborough, again sweeping the season series from the Red Rocketeers.
11. North Attleborough (12-3) 2 The Red Rocketeers have been the only team in two year to spell former No. 1 Milford, but they've still to figure out the winning formula against nemesis KP.
12. Westfield (15-1) 5 The Bombers dropped their first game of the season in a 12-8 slugfest with Minnechaug. We still think they're the team to beat coming out of the West, but no doubt the competition just ratcheted up.
13. Abington (17-2) 19 The Green Wave continue to roll along in the South Shore League, with a sterling 13-0 record in-conference.
14. Danvers (14-0) 20 Kendall Meehan is among the Northeastern Conference leaders in batting average (.500) while sporting a sub-1.00 ERA (0.66) in the circle.
15. Bellingham (13-2) NR Once again the Blackhawks and Hopkinton traded off wins during the teams' season series ...
16. Hopkinton (15-2) 10 ... meaning we could practically go either way with the Hillers in the poll.
17. Fairhaven (11-2) 15 The Blue Devils were beguiled by Apponequet, in a 5-4 loss, meaning the South Coast Conference chase just got all that much more interesting.
18. Burlington (16-2) 11 Since their 2-0 loss to Winchester, the Red Devils have cobbled together another six-game win streak.
19. Dracut (12-4) 18 The Middies look to show their extra-innings win over Central Catholic was no fluke in their rematch on Friday. They could've moved higher in the poll if not for Tuesday's loss to Tewksbury.
20. Taunton (12-4) NR The Tigers move back into the Top 25 on the strength of last week's 1-0 win over previous No. 2 North Attleborough in an 11-inning affair.
21. Nashoba (13-4) 22 The Chieftains dropped their season game of the season to Hudson, ending their league title hopes. Still, this will be a team no one will want to see come tournament time.
22. Central Catholic (13-2) 12 Despite the previous loss to Dracut, the Raiders still control their own destiny in the Merrimack Valley Conference Division 1 race.
23. Lexington (14-2) 14 The Minutemaids have controlled the Middlesex Liberty division from the get-go, but let second-place Arlington back into the race with a 7-2 defeat on Monday.
24. Arlington Catholic (13-4) NR The Cougars clinched the Catholic Central Large division crown with a 3-0 blanking of Archbishop Williams on Wednesday, earning them their first entry into the Top 25.
25. Apponequet (12-5) NR Look who's in first place in the ultra-competitive SCC? We've seen in coming for the last couple years with this young Lakers group, but Wednesday's 5-4 win over Fairhaven was a statement game, with Jess DuBois providing the dramatics in a 10-inning, walk-off win.
Last 10 Out: Amesbury (15-1), Bishop Feehan (11-4), Boston Latin (13-4), Hampshire Regional (13-1), Methuen (11-5), Minnechaug (11-5), Norton (14-2), Silver Lake (16-1), Tewksbury (10-6), Wakefield (13-5).

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