Pitching ‘machines’ propel Lynx

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BREWER – Dean Libbey was surprised when senior Cassie Carver showed up at his Mattanawcook Academy classroom Wednesday morning, just as he was administering a final exam, and asked for his keys. A couple of the seniors wanted extra practice before the afternoon’s Eastern Maine Class C softball title game, and they wanted to get out the pitching machine.

At first, the Lynx coach resisted. But, as Carver reminded him, they had done the same thing last year, and had gone on to win the regional and state crowns.

Libbey handed over his key chain.

The extra session certainly showed. The No. 3 Lynx pounded out 14 hits, including five for extra bases, and got another stellar effort from pitching “machine” Kari Vance, as Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln defended its EM title with a 14-0 victory over No. 1 Calais at Coffin Field.

“We didn’t have [the machine] on very high, but we did a lot of batting in the sun,” said Vance, who tripled twice, singled twice and drove in six runs. “We were just getting used to swings so we wouldn’t be cold.”

The 19-0 Lynx will be back here at 3 p.m. Saturday to face Western Maine champ Saint Dominic of Lewiston (16-3) for the state title.

MA and Calais met in the regional basketball game, which Calais won. Vance, who plays on both teams, saw the softball game as a chance to knock off the top-ranked opposition. Others were eager to avenge the basketball loss.

“I think we got a little spark from basketball season and Eastern Maines,” said Desirae Haines, who hit two singles and drove in three runs. “The core of our team plays basketball so we’ve talked about it. It was pretty sweet.”

The Blue Devils had the experience on the court, but the Lynx had it on the field.

They also had Vance.

The senior pitched a two-hitter with 12 strikeouts and one walk, at one point retiring 13 of 14 Calais batters. She stuck with a fastball that seemed to have even more fire than normal.

“I was throwing them hard. I knew [Calais] had the athletes and to get them out we’d have to strike them out or get them to hit little bloopers,” said Vance, who is suffering from a cough that had her, at times, doubled over in the circle.

Katie Frost took the loss for Calais despite 10 strikeouts and only one walk. She looked sharp early, allowing one run (a Vance triple that scored Carver) in the first three innings.

But that all ended in the fourth. The Lynx got a two-run double from Brandi Rideout (her second double of the game), a Haines RBI double, and a two-run triple from Vance to take a 6-0 lead.

“[Frost] wasn’t throwing the changeup well, so what we tried to do was spot the fastball, and that’s what she tried to do,” Calais coach Greg Smith said. “… I knew in order to have a chance today we’d have to keep the score down, but they just have great hitters.”

The Lynx piled on eight more runs in the seventh. Haines drove in two runs on a hard-hit single down the right-field line and Vance, who batted twice in the inning, hit an RBI single in her first at-bat and a two-run single in her second.

Frost and Lanna Martin each singled for the 16-3 Blue Devils. Calais had an opportunity to close the gap in the sixth inning, with runners at second and third and one out, but Vance fanned the final two batters of the inning.

“It was 6-0 and we wanted to add a couple of more runs and put their defense on,” said Carver, who hit four singles. “[Vance] definitely picked it up.”

Lynx 14, Blue Devils 0

Mattanawcook (19-0) Calais (16-3)

Player AB R H BI Player AB BI

Rideout, 1b 5 2 2 2 Redding, cf 3 0

Haines, rf 5 2 2 3 C. Martin, c 3 0 0

C. Carver, 2b 5 4 4 0 Frost, p 0

Vance, p 5 0 4 6 L. Martin, ss 3 0

a-Murchison 0 1 0 0 Silverthorne, 2b 3 0

Allen, 3b 3 0 0 0 Doliber, 3b 2 0

e-McKinnon 1 0 0 0 Brown, rf 3 0

Mansur, cf 4 2 1 0 Hendricks 2 0

Whitney, c 4 0 1 1 f-Beaton 1 0

b-Knights 0 2 0 0 Ludington, 1b 2 0 0

Shorey, dh 2 0 0 0

c-Littlefield 1 0 0 0

A. Carver 1 0 0 0

N. Leighton, lf3 1 0 0

d-NiCastro 1 0 0 0

Totals 40 14 14 12 Totals 25 0 0

a-ran for Vance in the third, fourth and seventh; b-ran for Whitney in the fourth and seventh; c-struck out for Shorey in the fifth; d-grounded out for N. Leighton in the sixth; e-struck out for Allen in the seventh; f-struck out for Hendricks in the seventh

Mattanawcook 001 500 8 ? 14

Calais 000 000 0 ? 0

E?C. Carver 2; C. Martin 2, Frost, Silverthorne; LOB?Mattanawcook 6, Calais 5; 2B?Rideout 2, Haines; 3B?Vance 2; SB?Rideout 2, Knights; C. Martin, Frost

Mattanawcook IP H R ER BB SO

Vance (W,18-0) 7 2 0 0 1 12

Calais IP H R ER BB SO

Frost (L,16-3) 7 14 14 8 1 10

WP?Frost; T?1:31; ATT?300 (est.)