Caribou, Foxcroft use seventh-inning rallies to record split

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DOVER-FOXCROFT – Two seventh-inning rallies and several big-time hits, including a pinch-hit home run, a two-run triple and a grand slam, lent an air of drama to Saturday’s Foxcroft Academy-Caribou Class B softball doubleheader at the high school field here.

The Ponies took the opening game 11-10 thanks to Casey Snow’s two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. The Vikings stormed back in the second game to break a tie in the top of the seventh and hold off the Ponies 16-14.

The big hits and seventh-inning rallies punctuated the myriad of miscues by both teams in both games. There were 12 wild pitches, 11 passed balls, 20 errors, 25 walks and 25 stolen bases in the doubleheader.

“I don’t know, I think we should have those [mistakes] worked out,” said Caribou’s Megan Cole-Karagory, who picked up a pitching win and loss. “It is the beginning of the season, but we played a lot in Florida [over spring vacation] and we should have had those worked out there.”

In the first game, the Ponies scored five runs to rally from a 9-2 deficit in the bottom of the fifth, added another in the bottom of the sixth after the Vikings had scored again, and then Foxcroft provided some late-game dramatics in the bottom of the seventh.

Janika Scott hit a one-out single and Chrystal Boudreau walked to put runners at first and second. Mandi Murray stepped in and smacked a triple into deep left field, driving in Scott and Boudreau and tying the game at 10-10.

After Leigh Cartwright flied out for the second out, Snow drove a 3-2 fastball into shallow left, plating Murray for the win.

It was Snow’s second hit and third RBI of the game.

“Everyone on the bench was like, don’t worry, no pressure,” Snow said with a laugh.

The Vikings scored four runs in the second inning and piled on another four in the third, highlighted by an RBI single from Leah Drew and a Liz Andrews RBI groundout. Most of the runs in those innings scored on a combination of errors, stolen bases, wild pitches and passed balls.

“I’m still trying to find the right places for everyone,” Foxcroft coach Curt Lombard said. “It seems like every time I put someone somewhere new, the ball always comes to them. I think in another couple of games, when I get my infield set, things will get better.”

Foxcroft’s Amy Kelley, pinch- hitting in the fifth inning, drove the first pitch she saw deep into center field for a solo home run.

Drew and Sam Grier each singled twice for Caribou, while Melissa Brissette tallied three RBIs, including two on groundouts.

Cole-Karagory, the starting center fielder, pitched the final 1? innings after starter Jessica Hartley hurt her hand trying to stop a bouncing single. Cole-Karagory is the substitute pitcher and hadn’t pitched yet this season, so to go from the outfield immediately to the circle was a tough adjustment.

“For me, today was probably worse than I usually pitch,” Cole-Karagory said. “I found it hard to find the zone. I wasn’t very happy, especially when I pitched coming from center field because I wasn’t able to warm up.”

In the second game, Michelle Snell’s fifth-inning grand slam didn’t provide the eventual game-winning runs, but it did give Caribou a 14-9 lead and huge boost en route to the win.

“It was just right in the center and I was ready for it, I guess,” Snell said. “Everyone was on base, so I knew I had to hit. I was just ready to hit that ball. We felt really good after I got that hit. We were less tense.”

Foxcroft came back and tied the game with four runs in the bottom of the fifth and another run in the sixth, but Bouchard walked both Snell and Drew to lead off the seventh. Snell scored the game-winning run on a fielding error and Drew tagged on a fielder’s choice.

Foxcroft racked up six runs in the second inning, two of which came on a two-run single by Kelley.

Cole-Karagory pitched one of her better innings of the day in the bottom of the seventh. The first Pony batter of the inning flied out, the second reached on an error, the third struck out and Cole-Karagory induced a groundout to end the game.

Despite the errors and other defensive problems, both teams hit well and moved runners efficiently.

“We hit a lot better than we did against John Bapst [last week],” Lombard said. “We’re just got to get better production from the bottom part of our lineup. We’ve got to hit up and down.”

Ponies 11, Vikings 10

(First Game)

Caribou Foxcroft Academy

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Cole-Karagory, cf-p 4 1 1 0 Murray, cf 4 2

Andrews, 2b 4 1 1 1 Cartwright, ss 3 2 1

Landeen, 3b 3 0 0 0 C. Snow, 3b 5 1 3

Monahan, 1b 4 1 1 1 Michaud, 1b 2 0 1

Snell, dh-lf 4 0 0 0 A. Snow, lf 2 0 0

Bouchard, rf 3 2 1 0 White, 2b 4 1 0

Drew, lf-cf 4 1 2 1 Wasson, rf 3 0 0

Grier, ss 4 3 2 0 b-Kelley 1 1 1

Brissette, c 4 0 0 3 Champion, dh 1 0 0

a-Bell 0 1 0 0 Michaud, c 0 0 0

Scott, dh 2 1 1 0

Sands, c 0 0 0 0

Boudreau, p 1 1 1 c-McCormack 1 0 0 0

d-Kennedy 0 1 0 0

Totals 34 10 8 6 29 11 9 8

a-ran for Brissette in the second; b-homered for Wasson in the fifth; c-reached on an error for Boudreau in the fifth; d-ran for Boudreau in the seventh

Caribou 144 010 0 ? 10

Foxcroft 200 510 3 ? 11

E? Grier 2, Hartley; A. Snow 2, C. Snow 2, Murray, Michaud, Watson; LOB? Caribou 6, Foxcroft 7; 3B? Murray; HR? Kelley; DP? Murray-Michaud; S? Bouchard; SB? Monahan 2, Bouchard 2, Andrews, Bell, Cole-Karagory, Drew; Cartwright 2, Murray

Caribou IP H R ER BB SO

Hartley 5? 6 8 2 8 1

Cole-Karagory (L, 0-1) 1? 3 3 3 2 0

Foxcroft IP H R ER BB SO

Boudreau (W, 1-1) 7 8 10 2 3 4

WP? Hartley 3; Boudreau 5; PB? Brissette 4; Michaud 3, Sands; T? 2:06; ATT? 100 (est.)

Vikings 16, Ponies 14

(Second Game)

Caribou (3-1) Foxcroft Academy (1-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Cole-Karagory, p 6 2 1 2 Murray, cf 4 1

b-Snell 0 1 0 0 Cartwright, 3b 5 2 1

Andrews, 2b 5 1 2 1 C. Snow, lf-ss 5 2 1

Landeen, 3b 4 1 3 2 M. Michaud, 1b 5 1 2

Monahan, 1b 5 1 1 0 McCormack, rf 2 0 0

Grier, ss 3 1 0 0 c-Champion 1 0 0

Bouchard, lf 3 1 0 0 Wasson, rf 2 0 0

Snell, lf 1 2 1 4 Kelley, ss-lf 5 0 2

Drew, cf 3 1 0 0 White, 2b 3 1 0

Brissette, c 5 0 2 0 Sands, c 1 1 0

a-Bell 0 2 0 0 d-Veno 0 1 0 0

Hartley, rf 2 2 0 1 e-A. Snow 0 1 0

Fortin, rf 2 1 1 1 Kennedy, dh 3 2 0

Totals 39 16 11 11 36 14 10 7

a-ran for Hartley in the second and third, b-ran for Cole-Karagory in the second and third, c-reached on fielder’s choice for McCormack in the fourth, d-walked for Sands in the fifth, e-ran for Sands in the sixth

Caribou 124 070 2 ? 16

Foxcroft 360 041 0 ? 14

E? Grier, Drew, Hartley; Kelley 4, C. Snow 2, Murray; LOB? Caribou 9, Foxcroft 7; 2B? Murray; 3B? Fortin; HR? Snell; DP? Boudreau-Michaud-Cartwright; SF? Michaud; SB? Landeen 2, Andrews 2, Grier, Drew, Snell, Monahan; Murray 2, Cartwright, Michaud, Kelley

Caribou IP H R ER BB SO

Cole-Karagory (W, 1-1) 7 10 14 2 6 3

Foxcroft IP H R ER BB SO

Boudreau (L, 1-2) 7 11 16 5 6 0

WP? Cole-Karagory 2, Boudreau 2; PB? Sands 3, Brissette; T? 2:06; ATT? 125 (est.)