Bay State Games 2025: West softball repeats as champions with 11-7 win over Coastal

DEVENS — The West softball team is leaving the Bay State Games with a gold medal for the second straight year.

The defending champions went 3-1 in pool play to reach the gold medal game on Thursday, where the West squared off with Coastal at Fort Devens.

The West got after it early, scoring twice in the first inning, once in the third and two in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead going into the fifth. The runs didn’t stop there, as the West put one on the board in the fifth, three in the sixth and one in the seventh to lead 11-1 going into the bottom of the seventh.

Coastal didn’t go down without a fight, scoring six in its final at bat but the rally came too late as West took home gold with an 11-7 victory.

“It’s so awesome,” Frontier’s Skyler Steele said. “It was so much fun. We did it for Coach Fred [Roach]. It was a great time and it was awesome to see all these girls come together and bond over these few days.”

Steele was a catalyst for the West team on Thursday. The rising junior went 4-for-4 at the plate including a double while driving in three runs. Steele also made numerous plays at shortstop to keep Coastal off the board.

Steele said getting to compete against some of the best competition in the state was a highlight.

“It’s good to see all the different teams from Mass.,” Steele said. “We have an awesome coach who led us and some awesome assistants. I struggled the last few days at the plate but I reined it in today. I used my good friend Raine [Wonsey’s] bat today and it worked.”

Agawam’s Alexina Lentis reached on an error to open the game, Steele followed with a single and an error on the ensuing at bat allowed both to score to stake the West to a 2-0 lead after one.

Steele singled in the third, worked her way to third and scored on a hard hit ball to short by East Longmeadow’s Angelina Leone to make it a 3-0 contest.

Monson’s Chelsea Hull doubled in the fourth and after Lentis walked, Steele followed with a two-RBI double to add to the lead. Westfield’s Jaylianie Santiago knocked Steele in with a double to give the West a 6-0 lead.

Coastal got on the board in the bottom of the fourth but the West answered back in the fifth. Lenox’s Grace Julieano singled and Hampshire’s Raegan Dubay later drove her in with a sacrifice fly to make it a 7-1 contest.

Kalin Dubay opened the sixth with a single scored on an error off a bunt from Lentis. Steele drove Lentis in with her fourth hit of the game and later scored on a wild pitch to add to the lead and give the West a 10-1 lead.

Kalin Dubay doubled in the seventh and scored on a single from Hull to close out the scoring.

The three Dubay sisters — Raegan, Ryanne and Kalin — were all on the West team together this summer, and Raegan said she was glad to be part of the team again after not participating last year.

“It was super fun,” Raegan Dubay said. “We did this two years ago but last year we took a break because we had so much on our schedule. This year I’m so happy to be back. The girls are amazing and I got to make so many new friends.”

After East Longmeadow’s Reilly McCauley tossed the first four innings, Frontier’s Raine Wonsey took over in the circle in the fifth. The eighth grader — who was the youngest player on the West team — struck out five and allowed three hits before giving way with one out in the seventh.

For Wonsey, the experience of playing with talented players who are older will only help her moving forward.

“It was really awesome,” Wonsey said. “Most of these girls were older than me but I really enjoyed playing with them these last few days. It makes you raise your level competing with girls all over the area.”

Having competed against most of the players on the West team throughout the high school season, Ryanne Dubay said playing together this week will make the matchups even more exciting next year.

“It will definitely be more fun when we face [players from our team] in the high school season because we know them now,” Ryanne Dubay said. “This year was so much fun. We clicked as a team. I love playing Bay State. You meet new people, play with new people and you just get to play and have fun.”

For Kalin Dubay, taking home gold was the ultimate reward at the end of the tourney.

“I love playing with these girls,” Kalin Dubay said. “They’re so sweet and nice. I love our coach. It feels so good to win gold. We worked hard, put in the work and drove far so it’s great to win it.”