La Salle Academy defeated Taunton 8-2, ending the Tigers' 65-game winning streak. This victory marks a significant turnaround after Taunton previously halted La Salle's 55-game streak.
Key points
La Salle Academy defeated Taunton 8-2
Taunton's 65-game winning streak ended
La Salle previously lost to Taunton, ending their 55-game streak
Game took place at Brown University
Both teams are nationally ranked high school softball teams
Mentioned in this story
Brown University
La Salle AcademyTauntonMIAA Division 1RIIL Division 1
"We had a good week of practice and were prepared for pretty much any situation we'd see," La Salle coach Joe Roumelis said. "This was a good pressure game for us (and) a good example of how we can see a game through and win a game against a good offense."
La Salle's Hailey Vigneau tosses a pitch during an MIAA-RIIL crossover game against Taunton at Brown University on April 26, 2026.
La Salle's Hailey Vigneau tosses a pitch during an MIAA-RIIL crossover game against Taunton at Brown University on April 26, 2026.
The Rams were led by a strong performance in the circle from senior pitcher Hailey Vigneau, with the Marist commit tossing all 7 innings giving up a pair of runs on 5 hits and a pair of walks while striking out 7.
Q&A
How did La Salle Academy end Taunton's 65-game winning streak?
La Salle Academy secured an 8-2 victory over Taunton, effectively ending their 65-game winning streak.
When did La Salle Academy and Taunton last meet before this game?
La Salle and Taunton last met in 2025, when Taunton ended La Salle's 55-game winning streak.
What was the significance of the La Salle vs. Taunton softball game?
The game was significant as it marked La Salle's victory against the reigning champions, snapping Taunton's impressive winning streak.
Where was the La Salle vs. Taunton softball game played?
The game was played at Brown University.
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"It means a lot (to get this win), not just for me but the whole team," Vigneau said. "We recently lost (to Chariho on Tuesday), so we went into this game like 'just have fun and leave it all out on the field.'"
For Roumelis, it just showed why he believes Vigneau is one of the best pitchers in the entire Northeast.
"She is spectacular in high-pressure situations and she always has been," Roumelis said. "She was put into these situations when she was a freshman (and) now she's a senior, so it's really about comfort for her. She's seen this type of environment every single year we've put her in there, and I wouldn't trust anybody else but her."
The La Salle bats also looked strong, with the Rams striking first in the bottom of the first, plating a pair of runs. After two back-and-forth scoreless innings, La Salle, which played as the away team, put up 3, 2 and a run in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings respectively to solidify its lead.
Sophomore catcher Jennie Broomfield led the way at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI, both of which came in the opening frame. Sophomore third baseman Sophia Morgan went 1-for-4 with a double, a run and a pair of RBIs while senior shortstop and Stonehill commit Nikki Pallotta went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI and senior left fielder Samantha Sell went 0-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Senior center fielder and Elle Kershaw, sophomore designated player Izzy Dong and junior second baseman Kayleigh Ventura each recorded a run as well.
"I told them that I thought being the away team was an advantage today," Roumelis said. "If we can strike early and have them chase us the whole game, that was our hope and it turned out that way. They didn't lead at any point of the game, (so) we were the rabbit and they had to chase us."
As for Taunton, coach Michelle Raposo said it simply was a case of being out hit, as the Rams recorded 7 hits compared to the Tigers' 5.
Taunton's Aniyah Bailey hits an RBI double for her 100th career hit during an MIAA-RIIL crossover game against La Salle at Brown University on April 26, 2026.
Taunton's Aniyah Bailey hits an RBI double for her 100th career hit during an MIAA-RIIL crossover game against La Salle at Brown University on April 26, 2026.
"I tell the kids every day, we come in and play our hardest," Raposo said. "Today wasn't our day. We didn't get the hits in the timely fashion that we wanted to."
As for the win streak coming to an end, during which Taunton won two of its last five consecutive state titles, Raposo said it doesn't really faze them.
"We never really talk about it," Raposo said. ''I mean this nicely, (but) we donāt care about it. Streaks are meant to be broken and it was broken today. We broke La Salleās win streak at 55, they broke ours at 65."
More so, she was proud of the effort of her girls in staying in the fight until the very end. She praised the efforts of eighth grade pitcher Ella Parece in the circle, who tossed 3ā innings giving up 6 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3.
At the plate, junior right fielder Kaylee Lopes led the way, going 2-for-3 with an RBI triple. Junior shortstop and South Carolina commit Bella Bourque went 1-for-3 with a run while junior catcher and UMass commit Aniyah Bailey, who plays club softball for Roumelis's Fury Platinum 18U squad, went 1-for-2 with an RBI double for her 100th career hit.
With a loss out of the way, which won't affect the Tigers in the upcoming MIAA power rankings as it was an out-of-state contest, Raposo said it gives them time to learn lessons and continue focusing on improving.
"We're just all eyes forward, let's see what we can do better than what we did yesterday," Raposo said. "There's definitely things we need to work on coming from this game, but we'll just readjust and work, and hope to make those adjustments next game."
La Salle (11-1) returns to action on Tuesday, April 28 at 4:30 p.m., playing host to another MIAA squad in Attleboro-based Bishop Feehan. Taunton (9-1, 8-0 Hockomock Kelley-Rex) will look to bounce back Wednesday, April 29 as the Tigers host Mansfield at 3:45 p.m. in Hockomock League crossover action.
