Rare DP pivotal as Indians win

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OLD TOWN – For all of the hits, pitching changes and sacrifices, one quirky play stands out for the Old Town softball team in its 11-6 victory over Hampden Academy Thursday at the high school field here.

A simple outfield catch turned into an unassisted double play for senior Mary Randall, and stopped a Bronco rally in the fifth inning. Meanwhile, the Indians pounded out 15 hits to hold off Hampden in a meeting of two of the top-five teams in Eastern Maine Class A softball.

Old Town, is now 11-2, while Hampden falls to 7-4.

“We didn’t play our best against Bangor, and we just wanted to come back and show people that we weren’t out of it,” Randall said of Wednesday’s loss 9-5 loss to the Rams.

Randall had started in the pitching circle Thursday but coach Mike Thurston had her switch places in the third inning with Sarah Metivier, the Indians’ ace who plays in the field on her off-days.

The switch put Randall in center field in the fifth, with Old Town holding an 8-6 lead after Sara Lozito drove in Kristina Spaulding and advanced Emmy Russell to third base with one out.

Hampden’s next batter, Wendy Butler, hit a fly ball into left-center, which Randall tracked down. The ball was deep enough to score the tagging Russell but Thurston prompted catcher Meghan King to ask umpire Sheridan Davis if Russell had left early and he ruled she did which resulted in a double play and negated the run.

It was a big moment for the Indians, who went on to score three more runs in the sixth.

“Mary Randall catching that ball, that was the best,” said Jessica Paul, who had three base hits. “They weren’t expecting that. No one knew what was going on, which was pretty cool.”

Randall’s effort in center field sparked Old Town for the rest of the game, but the Indians’ power at the plate was the difference.

Randall drove in three runs with a two-run double and a sacrifice bunt. Erica Perry singled twice with an RBI. Emily Ouellette had three singles and an RBI. King doubled and scored two runs. Jamie Higgins and Nicole Garrity each hit two singles. Higgins added an RBI sacrifice bunt and Metivier plated a run on a sacrifice fly.

“They hit the ball. That’s how they won the game,” Hampden coach Rodney Wells said. “We had our chances and that’s all you can ask for. They had the timely hitting with baserunners on.”

Metivier (7-2) picked up the win, allowing two hits in four innings of work. She struck out three, including two in the top of the seventh.

Hampden’s leaders included Lozito, who hit an RBI double and added another RBI on a fielder’s choice, Jen Philbrook (double) and Russell, who hit an RBI double and singled twice. Butler added a run-scoring single.

Indians 11, Broncos 6

Hampden (7-4) Old Town (11-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Philbrook, 2b 4 1 1 0 Perry, 3b 4 1

Wells, p-ss 4 1 1 0 L. Saucier, 3b 0 0 0

Spaulding, c 3 2 0 0 Paul, ss 4 1 0

Russell, cf 4 1 3 1 King, c 3 2 1 0

Lozito, 1b 4 0 2 2 Ouellette, 1b 4 2 1

a-Gardiner 0 1 0 0 Higgins, lf 3 2 0

Butler, rf 3 0 1 1 Randall, p-cf 3 1 3

Pitula, 3b 3 0 0 0 S. Saucier, 2b 2 0 1

Lindemann, ss-p 3 0 0 0 Thibodeau, 2b 1 0

Hudspeth, ss 0 0 0 0 Metivier, cf-p 4 0 1

Aylward, dh 2 0 0 0 Garrity, dh 2 1 0

Yamartino, dh 0 0 0 0 Dorr, rf 1 0

Billings, lf 0 0 0 0

Totals 30 6 8 4 Totals 31 11 15 7

a-ran for Lozito in the third

Hampden 104 010 0 ? 6

Old Town 413 003 x ? 11

E?Spaulding 2, Butler, Philbrook; Perry, Dorr; LOB?Hampden 5; Old Town 6; 2B?Russell, Lozito, Philbrook; King, Randall; DP?Randall; S?Higgins, Randall; SF?S. Saucier; SB?Russell; Ouellette 2, King, Higgins, Randall

Hampden IP H R ER BB SO

Wells (L, 7-4) 4 11 8 4 1 2

Lindemann* 2 4 3 0 0 0

Old Town IP H R ER BB SO

Randall 3 6 5 3 0 1

Metivier (W, 7-2) 4 2 1 1 2 3

WP?Wells 2; T?1:31; ATT?100 (est.)

*faced three batters in the sixth