SOUTH PORTLAND – South Portland’s well-played 4-1 softball win over Biddeford Tuesday was important, but it hopes it didn’t come at a severe cost.
With one out in the seventh inning, Biddeford’s Sara Scott scorched a liner off the right arm of South Portland ace Erin Bogdanovich.
Bogdanovich picked up the ball, threw Scott out and then was on the ground, crying in pain.
Bogdanovich was helped off the field, an ice pack draped over her lower right forearm a few inches above the wrist.
“Hopefully it’s nothing serious,” senior captain Danica Gleason said. “If not, then we play defense and we have a good number two (pitcher) as well.”
Minutes after Olivia Indorf replaced Bogdanovich and secured the win with a strikeout, Bogdanovich still looked worried and in pain. She said she couldn’t remember throwing out Scott and that her “hand went numb,” after being hit.
South Portland Coach Ralph Aceto said once he knew where the ball hit Bogdanovich and saw she was able to move her fingers he was confident the injury would not be season-ending.
“I have no doubt in my mind she’ll be fine,” Aceto said. “She took it off the flat of the (forearm). They had two EMTs look at it. They had our trainer look at it. I don’t believe it’s broken. She’s probably going to have a contusion there.”
South Portland plays Portland Wednesday and Indorf was already scheduled to start.
The Red Riots (12-2) play their final game next Tuesday.
“She can ice it for a week. We have plenty of time before playoffs,” Aceto said.
The game was played in a chilled and foggy mist but both teams played with sharpness. Biddeford (9-4) entered on a nine-game winning streak and collected six hits off Bogdanovich (eight strikeouts, no walks) and did not make an error.
The Tigers’ sophomore pitcher Abbie Paquette nearly matched Bogdanovich, allowing seven hits, striking out four and walking three.
“I’m very pleased. It was a good solid effort,” Biddeford Coach Leon Paquin said.
With the game tied 1-1, South Portland scored three runs in the fifth inning.
Kelsey Morton drew a walk to start the inning and Laurine German followed with a single, moving to second on a throw to third.
Paquette got Bogdanovich, who had hit a first-inning homer, to ground sharply to shortstop Katelyn Lebreux, who gunned down Morton at the plate.
Then on a 2-2 pitch, Gleason drove a triple to the left-center fence for a 3-1 lead. Gleason later scored on Inforf’s sharp single.
Before Gleason’s at-bat Paquin called timeout for a mound conference.
Later he said his plan was to work around Gleason with outside pitches and let her take a walk to load the bases.
“She fouled them off and had two strikes on her and I tried to get smart and go inside and catch her leaning,” Paquin said. “I should have walked her. Do what you’re supposed to do. I called timeout to do that. Then I try to get tricky and she roped a (triple). She’s a great hitter and my hat’s off to her but I made a mistake.”
Biddeford had tied the game 1-1 in the third.
Mariah Albert reached on a one-out bunt single, moved up on a passed ball and groundout and scored on Paquette’s second single of the game.
Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or at:
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