NEW BEDFORD — As longtime New Bedford High coach Harry Lowe became the first SouthCoast softball coach to record 600 career wins, he focused on what Monday’s 10-4 victory over Bridgewater-Raynham meant for his players.
“This win was bigger for my team today than it was for me as an individual,” said Lowe, who now has a career win-loss record of 600-259 in 40 seasons. “We needed this win. There was no doubt about it.”
After starting the season 1-3, the Whalers have won four straight, including a rare win over the Trojans.
“We had only beaten them twice in my high school career and one was in a scrimmage and one time they didn’t have their full team so it was definitely a big win for us,” said New Bedford senior pitcher Hayleigh Chenard. “We really wanted to do it for coach Lowe.”
Chenard said that Lowe’s passion for the sport is contagious.
“He really cares about the game and he’s so determined,” she said. “He loves coming to practice. He just loves the game. He knows the game. He knows how to teach the game. “He knows how to talk to us and he genuinely cares about us and I think that’s what makes us want to play even more.”
New Bedford senior Annabelle Huston added, “He never gives up on us. No matter what team we’re facing, he believes in us so much. Having that support really helps your confidence and the whole team’s morale going into the game.”
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The Whalers came out strong against BR, jumping out to a 5-0 lead at the bottom of the first inning and extending their lead to 7-0 entering the third.
“We were excited and we were ready to play. There was no doubt about it,” Lowe said. “They were on that first pitcher and the second kid came in and started throwing a lot of changeups and getting us off balance. “We had some big hits (in the sixth inning) and good defensive plays behind Hayleigh.”
Bridgewater-Raynham put the pressure on late. Trailing 7-4 at the top of the sixth inning, the Trojans loaded the bases with two outs, but a strikeout by Chenard closed the door.
“My heart is racing sometimes when I’m over here,” Lowe said of the thrill he gets from coaching. “They load the bases and there’s two outs and Hayleigh comes up with the big strikeout. Ella that’s the kid she is. She’s a tough kid.
“Over the years, I’ve been blessed with a lot of players who have bought into the system and trusted the process and when they do things like that, it makes it easy for you as a coach. “I’ve been blessed with those players.”
Lowe began coaching in 1983 at Old Colony, where he had an 83-40 record over six seasons. He went on to lead Apponequet to 250 wins, seven South Coast Conference championships and two state titles in 1992 and 1999 in his 13 years at the helm.
Lowe has recorded 267 wins over his 20 seasons at New Bedford High and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
“I’m still coaching. I can’t retire. As long as I’m above ground, I’m good,” said an emotional Lowe, who was surrounded by family. “As long as I have kids that want to learn and play hard, why not?”
The last local coach to reach 600 wins in any sport was former Old Rochester girls basketball coach Bob Hohne in 2018.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Chenard got things going for New Bedford in the bottom of the first inning with a double to right field. Belle Almeida put the Whalers ahead 2-0 with a two-run home run over the left field fence. Huston drove in Amelia Davis on an RBI single to right field and JJ Greene plated another two runs with a shot to left field, giving New Bedford a 5-0 lead with no outs. Bridgewater-Raynham changed pitchers and Maddy Delanof was able to strike out three of the next five batters.
New Bedford added a pair of runs in the second inning on an RBI angle from Greene and an RBI single from Maura McEvoy.
Bridgewater-Raynham responded in the top of the third with three runs on three hits, one walk and two errors. The Trojans pulled within 7-4 in the top of the fifth on an RBI double by Delanof.
New Bedford added three runs in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
“It’s great,” Chenard said. “We were definitely on a little bit of a losing streak for a minute, but I knew we could come back and do it.”
WHAT IT MEANS
The win was the fourth straight for the Whalers (5-3). New Bedford now sits atop the Southeast Conference standings with a 3-0 record. The Whalers visit Dartmouth on Wednesday. “I’d like to win on Wednesday at Dartmouth and be 4-0 in the league going into the second round in the league being in first place and having people chase us instead of us chasing them,” Lowe said. …The loss dropped BR to 5-4 overall and 2-1 in the SEC.
COACHES CORNER
“This is so exciting. It’s because of the kids. At the beginning of the year, we were 1-3 and now we’re 5-3. “We worked and we kept working and now it’s paying off.” — Lowe
STATS
Huston went 3-for-4 with one RBI and three runs scored while Greene was 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored and three RBIs. McEvoy was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored while Chenard was 1-for-3 with an RBI and run scored. Almeida had the two-run home run and Davis was 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored.
New Bedford 10, Bridgewater-Raynham 4
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New Bedford;520;003;x—10
WP: Hayleigh Chenard; LP: Chloe Martin
