SCARBOROUGH — The defending champs are one step closer to getting back to the state finals after No. 1 Scarborough pulled away for a 10-0 victory over No. 4 Massabesic in the Class A South softball semifinals on Saturday morning.
The Red Storm held a slim 1-0 lead through four innings and would explode for nine runs in the bottom of the fifth to put the game away.
“I was real proud of my kids. They hung tough. They looked confident and they were making good swings and putting the ball in play,” said Scarborough coach Tom Griffin.
Massabesic had a chance to make a statement in the top of the first. Scarborough starter Chloe Griffin walked two of the first three batters and those two Mustangs would reach scoring position. Griffin responded by striking out two batters to end the threat.
“We talked about trying to gain and capture momentum. They are just a team that just keeps coming at you and coming at you, coming at you and when you don’t take advantage of those opportunities that can come back and get you,” said Massabesic coach Kevin Tutt on the first-inning opportunity.

Scarborough pushed a run across in the bottom of the first when Isabella Dickinson walked and scored on an RBI single from Griffin. The Red Storm had a chance to break things open in the first as they loaded the bases, but Massabesic starter Cayleigh Morris slammed the door to keep it a one-run game.
Griffin and Morris would control things over the next three innings as just three Scarborough runners reached and no Mustangs would get on base in that span.
Massabesic’s last real scoring chance came in the top of the fifth when Alyvia Cormier drilled a double down the left field line and got to third on a sacrifice bunt from Kate Shubert. Once again Griffin would get herself out of trouble as she struck out the next two Mustangs to retire the side.
The Red Storm punched their ticket to the regional finals in the bottom half thanks to six hits, two walks and a hit batter that led to nine runs.
Hunter Greenleaf led the way for Scarborough as she had an RBI single to start the big inning and closed out the frame with a two-run double. Samantha Carriero and Courtney Brochu had RBI doubles and Lindsey Kelley drove home two runs with a single. Dickinson also had an RBI single in the inning.
“I think it was really important just for the team in general to break it open, but I think my role on the team is specifically to show good leadership and show the girls what we’re capable of so those hits were really big. The first one definitely started the rally and the second one just helped us out, keeping us moving,” said Greenleaf of her big fifth inning.
Griffin wouldn’t allow a single runner to reach in the sixth and seventh innings as she secured the victory for the Red Storm.
“It’s going to be pitching and defense that’s going to win this thing and that’s what we’ve been trying to preach the last couple weeks and we certainly showed that today,” said Tom Griffin, who watched his team go the entire game without an error on Saturday.
Chloe Griffin finished the game with 11 strikeouts and allowed just the one hit.
Tutt was impressed with what he saw from the Red Storm.
“They are an absolute machine when it comes to the game of softball,” said Tutt. “I respect everything that Tom Griffin has going here. I’ve worked with a lot of those kids and they play the game hard and they play the game right.”
Scarborough (18-0) will face No. 3 Thornton Academy (15-3) in the regional final at 3:30 p.m. at St. Joseph’s College on Tuesday. Tom Griffin knows his team will be in for a tough battle with the Trojans — and he was happy to avoid TA and No. 2 Noble on the way to the Class A South final.
“I think they are two great teams. We knew it was going to come down to one of those teams and we worked really hard to get to a point where we didn’t have to face either one of them in the semis and they had to knock each other off,” said Tom Griffin.
The Mustangs finish the season with a 13-5 record.
“(It was) a lot of fun. The kids didn’t quit and that’s all we can ask for. We started off 1-2 and then Scarborough beat us … the last 14 games was a 12-2 stretch and the kids just played well,” said Tutt. “It’s a process and that process doesn’t happen after the first game and the kids just had to believe in it and they just took on the work ethic and just played as hard as they possibly can.”
Tutt praised the work ethic and leadership of the seven seniors who will graduate next week.
“It’s a tremendous group. They showed tremendous leadership and they embodied what the program was designed for,” Tutt said. “Seven really, really good kids … you know, not all (of them) started but every one of them fell into their role and accepted those roles. They were great leaders to the underclassmen and even bigger leaders to our seventh-and-eighth grade program. They will be missed.”
— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.

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