Stevens’ two-run shot lifts Rams past Indians

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OLD TOWN – Amanda Stevens had already been held up once Saturday.

A nice fly ball to right field in the second inning looked like it was going to drop into the seam between the infield and outfield.

Then Old Town right fielder Brandy Knapp snatched it with a diving save worthy of the highlight films.

There would be no such heist in the eighth.

The Bangor tri-captain got hold of a 1-0 curveball and sent it into deep right-center field for a two-run double with two outs to boost Bangor to a 3-1 schoolgirl softball victory.

The only thing that muted the joy of Stevens’ hit was that the cleanup hitter got nabbed as she tried to take third on the hit on a relay from right field for the inning-ending out.

“The only way to stop her would have been with a gun,” Bangor coach Lisa Richards said with a grin. “Because she had that head of steam, and I looked, and the ball came in behind her.

“I thought about this,” Richards said, putting both arms up in the universal motion of stopping the runner. “And then I thought, jeez, if I do that, she’s dead at second. So I thought, what the hell, why not have her keep coming. Maybe they’ll overthrow it at second.”

Kristy Bowden sparked the two-out eighth-inning rally by working her way on via the second of Old Town pitcher Tara Drinkwater’s two walks.

Renee Richardson turned a 2-2 offering into a single to center field, to put Bangor baserunners at first and second with two outs.

That brought up Stevens, who took Drinkwater’s outside curveball for the game-winning double.

Featuring two of the Penobscot Valley Conference’s premier pitchers, the game was a lock to be close.

Drinkwater, a sophomore, struck out six and walked two in scattering five hits over eight innings. She pitched the whole game in the Indians’ third game in three days.

Bangor junior Melanie Deyone picked up her 12th win of the season and gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three.

“We knew coming into the game, she’s pitched yesterday and the day before, and your arm’s got to be tired after two games like that,” Stevens said. “She can’t throw a strike every pitch. Just when it’s there and it’s your pitch, you go for it. But when it’s not, let it go.”

Kendra Brown scorched the Rams in the first inning with a one-out RBI single up the middle to score Lisa Dyment, who led off with a line-drive base hit to left. Dyment moved to second on Drinkwater’s sacrifice bunt before racing home on Brown’s base hit.

Deyone halted the Indians’ rally with two strikeouts. The lefthander stalled the Indians offense in allowing one hit in the next seven innings, throwing 58 strikes on 90 pitches.

Drinkwater, who notched her 100th strikeout of the season Saturday, had a no-hit bid going until the fourth inning when Bowden raced to first base on a one-out bunt.

Richardson’s sacrifice bunt sent Bowden to second before Stevens squeaked out a dribbler down the first-base line.

Drinkwater stopped the ball but was carried to her knees by her own momentum, and attempted a tough cross-body throw to first baseman Brown. Drinkwater’s throw went into the outfield and Bowden raced home to tie the game at 1-1.

Rams 3, Indians 1

Bangor (12-1) Old Town (12-3)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Dionne, ss 3 0 0 0 Dyment, 3b 3 1 1 0

Bowden, 3b 4 2 1 0 Drinkwater, p 2 0 0 0

Richardsn,1b 2 1 1 0 Brown, 1b 3 0 1 1

Stevens, cf 4 0 1 2 Knapp, rf 3 0 1 0

Kenny, c 3 0 1 0 a-Day 0 0 0 0

Slamin, rf 3 0 0 0 Kenniston,cf 3 0 0 0

Kelly, 2b 3 0 0 0 Cuarisma, ss 3 0 0 0

Holland, lf 3 0 0 0 Wentworth,2b 3 0 0 0

Deyone, p 3 0 1 0 Madden, lf 3 0 0 0

Ferland, c 2 0 0 0

b-Sibley 1 0 0 0

Totals 28 3 5 2 Totals 26 1 3 1

a-ran for Knapp in seventh

b-grounded out to shortstop for Ferland in eighth

Bangor 000 100 02 – 3

Old Town 100 000 00 – 1

E – Drinkwater 2B – Stevens LOB – Bangor 3, Old Town 2 S – Richardson; Drinkwater

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Bangor

Deyone (W,12-1) 8 3 1 1 1 3

Old Town

Drinkwater(L,12-3) 8 5 3 2 2 6

WP – Deyone TIME – 1:18 ATTENDANCE – 75