KENNEBUNK — It’s a softball pitching matchup that could be replayed several times over the next four year.
The duel pitting Thornton Academy’s Julia Geaumont and Hannah King of Kennebunk.
Both are freshmen right-handers with talent and poise beyond their young years.
Wednesday the two marked the first varsity meeting between the two, with King walking away as the winner of a 4-3 SMAA clash.
“She’s a great pitcher,” said King, who said she’s eagerly anticipating the possibility of such head-to-head clashes with Geaumont. “Definitely. I look forward to it. She’s such a great pitcher.”
King wasn’t so bad herself in her second ever varsity start.
Although Thornton reached her for three runs in the early innings, King settled down and kept the Golden Trojans off the board the rest of the way.
That bought her teammates time to muster up some run support.
The three-spot the Rams put up in the bottom of the fifth proved to be decisive.
“I can’t even imagine,” said Kennebunk coach Steph Coleman, “what the pressure must have been like for her (King). She just shrugged it off and led us to a victory.”
Thornton (2-1) scraped up two runs in the top of the first, after King struck Geaumont with the first pitch of the game, then gave up run-scoring hits to Shannon Provost and Vanessa McCrum.
In the third, Kristin Dubois reached on an error, and was later singled by Megan Fifield.
“I was a little nervous,” said King, “but I knew I had a good team behind me. I just had to pull it together and my team (would) do the rest.”
Geaumont worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the third, thanks in part to Sammi Martemucci’s running snow-cone grab of Janelle Bouchard’s inning-ending line drive.
The Rams nicked Geaumont for a run in the fourth, to cut the margin to 3-1.
However, her undoing came in the bottom of the fifth, when Thornton made us of four hits — some of them of the seeing-eye variety — plus a walk to Alex Leonardi.
Leonardi later scored what held up as the game-winning run, when Kelly King hit into a bases-loaded fielder’s choice.
King admitted feeling relieved once her team handed her the lead.
“Oh, definitely,” she laughed.
For Geaumont, who was thrust into the starting role while senior hurler Emma Vaillancourt recovers from an off-season injury, this was both her first loss and a learning opportunity.
“For Julia and the other newcomers,” said Thornton coach John Provost, “it’s on the job training.”
Both teams will take the field again, Friday. Thornton will host Deering while the Rams will travel to Cheverus.
— Contact Dan Hickling at 282-1535 ext. 318 or at dhickling@gwi.net.
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