The record book at Silver Lake changed this past spring — for the better.
That is because Halifax native Emily Critch finished off her fourth and final season as a Silver Lake softball player strong. Midway through the season, she broke the home run record by blasting her 18th career home run. She surpassed the team record that was previously held by Shannon Grindle, a fellow Halifax native, who is a rising sophomore on the Bridgewater State softball team. Grindle hit .364 with a pair of home runs in 35 games as a freshman this past spring.
Even after she broke the record, Critch was not done hitting. She belted three more home runs after earning the crown outright, so the catcher finished her Lakers career with 21 home runs.
This past spring, Critch had yet again another impressive year offensively. She hit .419 with a .802 slugging percentage as she knocked in 37 runs and scored 39 runs in 25 games during the Lakers 25-1 season, a season in which they made it to the Division 1 South Final.
Thanks to her strong performance, Critch was named to every major All-Scholastic team: The Patriot Ledger, Boston Herald and Boston Globe. It was not the first time she was named to All-Scholastic teams for softball either.
During her Lakers career, Critch also played basketball and field hockey.
Critch is set to continue her softball career next spring as a member of Southern New Hampshire University’s softball team. There, she will be teammates with another former Laker and fellow Halifax native, Maddy Barone, who went 9-7 with a 2.85 ERA and 77 strikeouts over 115.1 innings in 24 outings, including 17 starts.
The two comprised a formidable battery during their Lakers career. Since SNHU lost both of their catchers due to graduation after this past spring, the Critch and Barone duo should have the opportunity to do the same in college.