BRUNSWICK — There is little doubt according to Morse High School softball coach Wil Laffely that Brunswick is an improving program.  

The Dragons have certainly had their struggles over the past few seasons, and after Wednesday’s 5-0 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference loss to the Shipbuilders, Brunswick is 2-6 midway through its season. 

However, in nearly each of those eight games, the Dragons have battled, and on Wednesday, Brunswick matched Morse with seven hits.  

But it was a key three-run first inning that started the ’Builders off on the right foot, and hurler Dory Kulis made the lead stand up with an eight-strikeout performance and her second straight shutout. 

Morse (5-3) used three walks from Brunswick starting pitcher Shea Sullivan to load the bases with one out in the opening frame. Sullivan, who was taking an A.P. exam, arrived minutes before first pitch and took some time to loosen up. She nearly escaped the first unscathed. After a nice play on a pop up behind the plate from catcher Kelsey Sullivan for the second out, Kali Pierce lifted a fly ball to right. The ball was dropped, allowing Paige Faulkingham, Kulis and Abby Carpenter to score for a 3-0 lead.  

“We came in thinking we had it, and our hitting and fielding held it together for us,” said Carpenter, who was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a stolen base. “The start was important. We wanted to jump out on them and get a lead. We did that. Patience was important for us, and we were not swinging at a lot of crappy pitches.” 

The first inning put us behind the eight ball against one of the best pitchers that we’ll see,” said Brunswick coach Hugh Dwyer. “Walks kill you, and that is what happened. After that, it was about building.” 

Kulis retired the Dragons in order in the first but had to battle the rest of the game as Brunswick hitters put the bat on the ball.  

“That is encouraging, with our plan to hit the low pitch,” said Dwyer. “Dory is a sensational pitcher, and the only way to get her is the low pitch. You can’t hit her high pitches. They got locked in and they want to get better. We responded well, and that is a focus. 

Morse tacked on a run in the second as Brook Kulis doubled to plate Hallie Johnson, who had reached on a single to open the frame.  

From there, the game turned into a pitchers and defensive battle. Sullivan struck out four, and after the first inning allowed only a pair of walks and seven hits. She was backed by her defense, led by third baseman Blake Austin, who made several solid plays. Her best was an over-the-shoulder catch of a Brook Kulis fly ball just inside the third-base line.   

“Our defense was really strong today. Blake Austin was great at third base,” added Dwyer.  

Dragons threaten 

Trailing 4-0 in the third, Mia DeSantis laid down a perfect bunt and stole second to move into scoring position. Dory Kulis followed with two strikeouts to keep the Dragons off the board. 

Morse made it a 5-0 game in the third as Kaylee Creamer scored on a double by Dory Kulis.  

“We are still really young, and we seem to be getting better every game, especially on the defensive side. We were able to score a couple runs later,” said Laffely.  

Brunswick put two runners on in the home half of the fourth as Alexis Guptill (2-for-3) and Mia Klimash each singled. A nice play by Carpenter at third ended the threat.  

In the seventh, Morse’s only error on a leadoff single by Riley McAllaster gave the Dragons a runner at third with nobody out. Again, Dory Kulis made the pitches, including her eighth strikeout to end the game.  

“We will learn from this and try to get some more wins,” said Brunswick junior Morgan Plourde, who has been through the tough times on the softball field. “It is a lot of fun this year, and we have some freshmen who want to play and have brought excitement to this team.” 

Laffely compared the Dragons to his Shipbuilder teams of the past.  

“I see what we were five or six years ago in them,” said the Morse coach, whose Shipbuilders visit Medomak Valley on Thursday at 4 p.m. “Brunswick was always winning 12 games and fundamentally sound. They are getting back to that. We put a lot of balls into play in the infield and they made the plays. We have to hit them where they’re not. Shea Sullivan is one of the better pitchers we have faced.” 

Brook Kulis was the lone repeat hitter for Morse (2-for-4, double, RBI).  

Brunswick visits Edward Little on Thursday at 4 p.m.  

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