BREWER — This was supposed to be the year when someone was going to beat Scarborough High’s softball team and end the Red Storm’s Class A championship reign.
Even the Scarborough coaches and players knew it was going to be difficult to maintain the program’s level of excellence. And that’s why there was such a strong feeling of satisfaction when the season ended Saturday afternoon.
Scarborough continued its domination of Class A softball, winning its third consecutive state championship by defeating Skowhegan 11-1 at Coffin Field. It was the Red Storm’s 60th consecutive victory, this one fueled by the strong pitching of junior Bella Dickinson and a relentless hitting attack.
Dickinson allowed just two hits – both to catcher Sydney Reed, including a third-inning home run – and struck out 12. Scarborough broke the game open with a seven-run sixth inning, highlighted by a grand slam by senior second baseman Courtney Brochu. All the runs came with two outs.
“Beginning of the season, I knew we’d be decent, we always have great talent coming up,” said Brochu. “But no one thought we would make it this far, especially with that ending on the scoreboard. It is just amazing.”
Scarborough, which starts three freshmen and two sophomores, finished 20-0 for the third consecutive year, winning its seventh Class A state title since 2007. Skowhegan (19-1) lost to Scarborough for the fifth time in the state championship game.
“This one is a little unexpected to be honest,” said Scarborough Coach Tom Griffin. “I’m speechless for these kids. They’re they toughest kids I’ve ever coached, mentally. They just know how to win, especially at such a young age.”
“Very good team, we knew that coming in,” said Skowhegan Coach Lee Johnson. “We found a way to hang in there for a while, and I think there were a couple of plays in that one inning that came back to bite us.”
Skowhegan pitcher Sydney Ames got through the first six batters of the game but ran into trouble with the bottom of Scarborough’s lineup in the second inning. With two outs, Mollie Verreault doubled off the wall in right. After two walks, Dickinson tripled into the right-field corner, and it was suddenly 3-0.
Reed hit a one-out homer in the third inning to make it 3-1. Dickinson became determined not to give up anything else after Reed’s home run.
“I think that lit the fire under me, it was that play that I needed,” said Dickinson. “It was something that kind of made me want to do better for my team and get it together a little bit.
“I think I started off pretty slow in the first couple of innings, and that home run woke me up.”
Skowhegan had runners on second and third with two outs in the fifth, but Dickinson got the third out with a strikeout on a changeup.
“Just couldn’t capitalize on it,” said Reed.
Scarborough broke it open in the sixth. With two outs and a runner on third, No. 8 hitter Hannah Gower hit a squibber that rolled between three players near first base and into the outfield for an RBI single.
After Ava McDonald reached on a bunt single, Dickinson was intentionally walked, and AJ Swett’s high chopper to third resulted in an RBI single. Caitlin Noiles walked to force in a run, and then Brochu hit her first home run of the season and the second of her career, well over the fence in right-center.
“It just felt amazing to go out that way,” said Brochu. “It couldn’t get any better.”
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