Unbeaten Bangor class of `A’; Winslow, Bucksport head `B’ field

The view from the top of the Eastern Maine Class A softball standings must be picturesque for Bangor High School.

The undefeated Rams open the playoffs on Thursday against No. 8 Presque Isle, a team they have beaten twice. Bangor has beaten fifth-seeded Brewer and No. 6 Old Town three times each.

For the Rams, the unknowns will be the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference teams Messalonskee of Oakland, Cony of Augusta, Skow-hegan and Medomak Valley of Waldoboro.

Still, Bangor has never looked as tough as it does now. Senior pitcher Melanie Deyone finished the regular season with a 14-0 record as a starter and one save. Left fielder Brianne Slamin and catcher Jamie Kenny have found their stroke at the plate. Plus, Bangor is deep – Kristan Strout, Kerri Tuck, Renee Spellman and Sam Warner started the season on the bench and have all made significant contributions.

Bangor’s biggest test may come in the form of second-seeded and defending Eastern Maine champ Messalonskee, which won the KVAC title Saturday. The Eagles have two solid pitchers in Janet McMullin and Jen Parlin. Kate McKay has powered the offense this season.

The teams vying for the Class B regional title are all familiar faces, although No. 3 George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill got to the Eastern Maine finals in Class C last year.

Defending Class B state champion Winslow will depend on the pitching of Meagan Gordon. The senior ace led the Raiders to a 16-0 record this spring, a KVAC title on Saturday and Eastern Maine titles in 1997 and 1996.

At 15-1, Bucksport has the top seed in Class B. The Golden Bucks beat George Stevens twice this year and got their only loss against Mount Desert Island, which is out of the playoffs. The Bucks are dangerous because they have two hard-throwing pitchers in Nikki Sheehan and Kelly Downes as well as an offensive punch from Jessica Sawyer, who went 4-for-4 against GSA’s Heidi Carroll on May 28.

The unknown entity in Class B is Orono. The Red Riots earned the fifth seed with a 7-9 record because of a May 25th victory over George Stevens. But Orono has been inconsistent – the only team they beat twice this season was John Bapst of Bangor. Still, the Riots have shown flashes of brilliance, including the baserunning of Lorie Mehuren and power at the plate from Jessica Libby.

All three top Class C teams – Penquis of Milo, Searsport and Narraguagus of Harrington – are anchored by stellar pitching.

Searsport has the second seed, and senior Sarah Webster has been a force on the mound despite a knee injury suffered in the middle of the season. One of the Vikings’ two losses this season came against Narraguagus, in the May 4 game in which Webster hurt her knee.

Penquis of Milo junior Abbie Bowen is the No. 1 Patriots’ ace, and pRoved it with a 10-0, no-hit victory over Piscataquis on May 28. Senior shortstop Erin Weston has been one of Penquis’ best players at the plate.

Narraguagus third baseman Holly Strout leads the No. 4 Knights in hitting with a .590 average, but pitcher Laura Morse isn’t far behind at .580.

Morse, a sophomore, has pitched all of the teams’ games and has a 12-5 record, including a victory over Jonesport-Beals in the Downeast Athletic Conference championship Saturday.

“Her control has improved,” Narraguagus coach Elliott Noyes said. “That was a problem last year. And she’s throwing faster this year.

In Class D, No. Jonesport-Beals’ hard-throwing sophomore pitcher Tricia Carver’s fastball has been tough to hit all season, and she has the ability to help herself out at the plate.

“I think a lot of it is that she has a natural athletic talent and she’s a strong girl,” Jonesport-Beals coach Diane Clark said. “She works hard at it. Whatever she does she works hard at it.”

Top-seeded Fort Fairfield depends on second-year starter Kathy Russell for reliable pitching and third baseman Devin Jewett for power at the plate. Jewett’s numbers are down from last year, when she was hitting around .800 – she’s only hitting .605, mostly because she gets walked more often than last year.

Wisdom of St. Agatha, the third seed in Class D, gets solid pitching from freshman starter Kelly Cyr, and has a more-than-reliable backup in first baseman Tracy Guerrette.