HERMON – Back on May 21 the Foxcroft Academy softball team picked up its 12th loss in a game the Ponies wanted to forget – a 22-run, 16-hit loss to Hermon.

The Ponies weren’t about to let it happen again when they met the Hawks Friday for a first-round Eastern Maine Class B tournament game at the high school field here.

A much-improved No. 14 Foxcroft outslugged No. 11 Hermon, made tough defensive plays and withstood a Hawk rally in the bottom of the seventh to earn a 11-6 victory and a berth in the tournament’s second round.

Foxcroft (5-12) will face No. 6 Winslow, which had a first-round bye, on June 5.

Hermon wraps up its season at 6-11.

The Ponies got offensive contributions from every starter, whether it was an RBI groundout, a sacrifice or astute baserunning.

“We played a really great game today,” said pitcher Chrystal Boudreau. “Everyone was pumped.”

Foxcroft scored four runs in the second sparked by an Amy Kelley RBI triple, an RBI single from Leigh Cartwright, and a Casey Snow RBI groundout. The Ponies had scored two in the first and with a six-run advantage after the second, slowly piled on more offense over the next three innings.

Foxcroft found the outfield gaps and had five extra-base hits. Four hitters had multiple hits, including Darcy McCormick’s 3-for-4 effort (two singles and a double). She also drove in two runs.

Leadoff batter Mandi Murray also had a fine game, with two singles, a double, three runs and two stolen bases. Missy Michaud doubled, singled and had an RBI.

“We hit a little better in this game than we have,” said McCormick, who is playing with a broken jaw. “We just had a lot of patience. [Hermon pitcher Taren MacDonald] was a little bit slower than I thought she would be.”

Boudreau had one strikeout and no walks, and let her defense do most of the work. The Foxcroft fielders notched 20 combined put-outs and fly-outs.

“I think we’ve come together really well this season defensively,” she said.

Three of those outs came in the seventh when the Hawks tried to rally from an eight-run deficit.

Kelly Schaap and Krystal Terrill led off the inning with consecutive singles. A fielding error put MacDonald at first and moved Schaap and Terrill up to second and third, respectively. Amber Smith singled to plate Schaap and Terrill, and Jodi Reynolds hit Hermon’s fourth single of the inning to score MacDonald.

But Boudreau induced three straight fly balls to end the game.

MacDonald struck out three and walked four.

“My hope was that she would stay low and away because those are some of the hardest pitches to hit,” Hermon coach Nancy Deshane said. “She was having a hard time and I think it was nerves.”

Ponies 11, Hawks 6

No. 14 Foxcroft (5-12) No. 11 Hermon (6-11)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Murray, cf 4 3 3 0 Terrill, lf 4 2 1

Cartwright, ss 3 1 1 1 MacDonald, p 3 0

C. Snow, 3b 5 1 2 1 Smith, cf 3 0 1

Michaud, 1b 3 1 2 1 Reynolds, c 4 0 2

A. Snow, lf 4 0 0 0 Laughlin, 3b 4 0 0

White, 2b 3 1 0 0 Bruce, dh 4 1 0

McCormick, rf 4 2 3 2 Lucey, rf 0 0

Sands, c 3 0 0 2 Hart, ss 4 0 1

a-Kennedy 0 1 0 0 Poole, 1b 3 0 0

Kelley, dh 3 1 1 1 Schaap, 2b 3 2 0

Totals 32 11 12 8 Totals 32 6 10 5

a-ran for Sands in the second

Foxcroft 241 121 0 ?11

Hermon 000 120 3 ? 6

E?White; Terrill, Reynolds, Laughlin, Poole; LOB?Foxcroft 7, Hermon 6; 2B?Murray, C. Snow, Michaud; 3B?McCormick, Kelley; Hart, Schaap; DP?C. Snow-Cartwright; S?Cartwright; SF?Cartwright; SB?Murray 2, Cartwright, McCormick

Foxcroft IP H R ER BB SO

Boudreau (W,5-12) 7 10 6 2 0 1

Hermon IP H R ER BB SO

MacDonald (L,6-9) 7 12 11 7 4 3

HBP?Kelley by MacDonald; WP?Boudreau; MacDonald 2; PB?Reynolds; T?1:34; ATT?100 (est.)