Thornton edges past Massabesic into semifinals

SACO — Throughout the regular season the Thornton Academy softball team was the most prolific offensive team in Maine.

For four innings on Thursday afternoon, however, it didn’t look like the team that scored a statistic leading 180 runs in 16 games.

Massabesic pitcher Dani Egan held Thornton at bay allowing no runs and only three hits through four innings, but the No. 2 Golden Trojans’ bats came to life late in the game as Thornton beat Massabesic 3-1 in a Western Class A quarterfinal tilt.

Egan allowed only five base runners during the first four innings as the Mustangs, who were the seventh seed, clung to a 1-0 lead. That all changed in the bottom of the fifth thanks to Katie Kalagias.

The senior hit an RBI double deep to center field with two outs and two strikes. The hit plated Aleisha Cross, tying the game at 1-1.

“I just wanted to get something going for the team,” Kalagias said. “The nerves were crazy. I took so many deep breaths to stay calm and focused.”

On the next pitch, Kalagias went to third on a passed ball and quickly scored as the throw from home sailed into left field, giving Thornton a 2-1 lead.

“(Thornton) Coach (John Provost) was just yelling ”˜go!,’” Kalagias said. “I got up and ran as fast as I could. I was determined to score.”

Thornton wasn’t done there. Freshman Bailey Tremblay hit a single to center field, and then went to second on an errant throw into center. She scored when Samantha Schildroth hit a single to right, giving Thornton a 3-1 lead.

“It’s infectious and it’s been like this all year,” Provost said of the team’s ability to score in bunches. “We said in the dugout that once we get going it just snowballs. It’s contagious.”

The Mustangs also committed four errors in the inning, contributing to Thornton’s mini-burst.

The errors were uncharacteristic of the Mustangs who only committed four errors in their final five games of the season.

“They were nervous and made a couple of bad mistakes,” Massabesic coach Ray Magnant said. “You can’t make mistakes like that against a team like Thornton and expect to win.”

Thornton will now play South Portland in the semifinals at either 3 or 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The Mustangs took advantage of a sluggish and unusual start from Thornton star pitcher and the recently named Maine Gatorade Softball Player of the Year, Julia Geaumont. After striking out the leadoff hitter, the senior walked junior Amber Libby and later gave up a single to senior Taylor Bergeron, plating Libby for a 1-0 lead.

That was a turnaround from Massabesic’s first game against Thornton when Geaumont pitched a perfect game in Waterboro on May 11.

Massabesic put runners on two of the next three innings, but couldn’t build on its lead.

“We have done that a few times this year,” Magnant said. “We put runners on but we can’t get them home. If we could’ve capitalized on our chances earlier in the game, that could’ve been a different score.”

It also allowed Geaumont to settle down and fall into a groove, Provost said. Geaumont only allowed two hits after the fourth inning, singles to junior Kaelyn Lucier and Libby.

“She really just dominated the fifth, sixth and seventh innings,” Provost said.

Although Geaumont earned the win, Egan, who is only a junior, scattered six hits and allowed no earned runs.

“Dani pitched a great game,” Magnant said. “She’s been pitching well all year long and she carried us the whole season and she’s only a junior.”

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