Scarborough 8
Bonny Eagle 0
The Bonny Eagle softball team managed just one hit against Scarborough’s Kelsey Griffin in an 8-0 loss Tuesday. But although they did just manage the one hit, the Scots did consistently put the ball into play against one of the state’s top pitchers.
“Our game plan after practice yesterday was to come out swinging,” said Bonny Eagle coach Jan Corliss. “We were not going to take called strikes. We were going to be aggressive with the bats and put the ball in play and see what happened. (Griffin) had eight strikeouts and according to her coach that’s the fewest she has had all year; so that is encouraging.”
Griffin not only pitched well, she also had a good day at the plate. Griffin led off the game with a single in the first inning. Two batters later, Meaghan Myers singled to score the game’s first run. The Red Storm had two on with no one out but the Scots turned a double play to end the threat. Catie Funk singled, but Kira Gordon was thrown out trying to score from second. Bonny Eagle catcher Messina Provencher then fired the ball to third to get Myers. Kaitlin Williams then struck out Caitlin LeBorgne to end the threat.
In the bottom of the first, the Scots went down in order. Provencher grounded to second, Meagan Johnson grounded back to the pitcher and Stephanie Stockwell grounded to second.
“The ball was in play more than we’re used to,” said Scarborough coach Tom Griffin. “Bonny Eagle did a good job putting the ball in play. But our defense was right there. They have a lot of speed out there and they know what to do.”
The Red Storm came out swinging in the second and put up three more runs. Kelsey Griffin came to the plate with the bases loaded and singled in a run. Gordon then singled in a run and Sam Pelletier scored on the play when the throw to the plate got away. By the time the Scots got the third out, the score was 4-0.
Things settled down a bit from there. Griffin retired the Scots in order in the second. On the other side, Williams got the Storm to go down in order in the third. In the bottom of the third, the Scots got their first and only hit of the game. Williams singled with one out but was thrown out at first to end the inning.
In the top of the sixth, the Scots changed pitchers. Madylan Kluna was brought in to face the bottom of the Scarborough lineup. Victoria Joyce got the Red Storm started when she reached on an error. Heather Carrier singled and Scarborough had a rally going. After a fly ball to right field, Griffin returned to the plate and got her third hit in as many chances to load the bases. Kluna struck out Gordon with a changeup for the second out. Myers made sure that Kluna wouldn’t escape without damage when she hit a fly ball to deep left field for a two-run double. The Storm added two more runs on a passed ball and a single by Funk.
The offensive outburst pleased Scarborough’s coach. “(Bonny Eagle is) a quality team to finish the season,” he said. “I gave the kids a few days off to rest and they responded real well. I think if the wind was blowing in a different direction, we could have piled up some more runs.”
With the win Scarborough completes an unbeaten season. They will enter the playoffs as the top seed.
“I told the kids ‘we did something pretty special going 16-0,'” said Griffin. “We’re celebrating that and its great but the other schools don’t care about that. We’re starting fresh again and we have to keep doing what we have been doing. Hopefully we’ll be celebrating at the end. Right now we need to stay focused.”
The loss did not mean the end of the season for the tournament-bound Scots. They finished their schedule with a record of 10-6. Corliss knows that anything can happen in the tournament.
“I think it will be an interesting playoff,” she said. “Anyone can be there. (Scarborough is) the top team, they beat South Portland just 1-0, so teams are lurking. It should be interesting to see who gets to them. One of my parents ran some numbers today and we could end up playing Westbrook or Marshwood in a prelim next Tuesday because we’ll finish 6 or 7 depending what happens with other teams. I know we’ll play Tuesday at home against someone. Whether we play a scrimmage or a prelim who knows.”
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