Cape Elizabeth used a two-run home run from sophomore catcher Colleen Martin and another seven innings of quality pitching from sophomore Tricia Thibodeau to win their first ever Class B state softball championship. The Capers held on for a 2-1 win over Winslow on Saturday in a game played at St. Joseph’s College in Standish.
Martin knocked in Lisa Wolanski with a deep drive over the rightfield wall in the third inning and Thibodeau limited the Raiders to just four hits as Cape made its second straight trip to the state championship game a more memorable one than a year ago.
In 2006, a usually sure-handed team from Cape made six costly errors in an 8-6 loss to Bucksport and those players who returned this year vowed to make amends with their second chance.
“Last year was our biggest motivation (for this year) and our defense under pressure has really improved,” said Cape senior co-captain Brennen Balfour.
Thibodeau retired the Eastern Maine champs in order in the first inning, but a walk and an error in the second frame gave the Raiders a scoring opportunity with runners at second and third and only one out. Thibodeau got out of the jam with a fly ball out and a strikeout to keep the game scoreless.
“She (Thibodeau) really stepped it up this year,” said catcher Colleen Martin. “She really worked hard in the off-season.”
Winslow pitcher Brynne Davis was keeping Cape off the base paths in the first two innings with only Emily Richardson reaching on a second inning walk.
Another one-two-three inning by Thibodeau in the top of the third set up what proved to be the dramatic game-winning hit in the bottom half of that inning.
Lauren Donovan and Anna Boulos each grounded out to shortstop and it appeared the teams would head to the fourth inning at 0-0, but senior Lisa Wolanski singled to left for Cape’s first hit of the game. Colleen Martin then stepped into the batter’s box and drilled a Davis pitch over the rightfield fence to give the Capers a 2-0 lead.
“It wasn’t quite a line drive, so I knew that it might have been high enough to get out, but it just cleared the fence,” said Martin. “Brennen (Balfour) had said in the dugout she had a feeling a home run was going to win this game.”
Thibodeau allowed her first hit in the top of the fourth, but that runner was stranded there. The Raiders threatened again in the top of the fifth with a pair of singles and a passed ball that put the Capers in another one-out situation with runners at second and third. Thibodeau squirmed out of this jam with another fly ball out and one more strikeout to keep the score at 2-0.
“All season everyone’s been telling me ‘you’ve got a great defense behind you’ and (today again) everybody was great,” said Thibodeau.
Winslow had one last chance in the top of the seventh. A line drive by Elizabeth Fisher glanced off the glove of Cape second baseman Maureen Kertes for a one-out single and she reached second when the ball was bobbled in the outfield. A strikeout by Thibodeau got the Capers within an out of the title. A wild pitch moved the Winslow runner to third and the Raiders’ Krystal Lacombe lined a single up the middle to pull the Raiders within one at 2-1.
Thibodeau then got Jillian Smith on a swinging third strike but the ball was dropped forcing Martin to throw Smith out at first base. The throw was off the mark pulling Anna Boulos off the bag and what seemed like the last out of the game suddenly wasn’t.
The sophomore pitcher re-grouped and she coolly struck out the next Winslow batter to secure the long awaited Class B state championship for Cape.
“I was just so pumped and ready to play. I was really confident and I knew that I could get those girls (in the seventh inning),” said Thibodeau. “We just knew it was our turn and we wanted it so badly. We were so ready.”
“They come to practice and they work everyday,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Joe Henrickson. “I try to make it fun for them, but they work hard.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
