Old Town rallies in sixth, tips Broncos for fifth win

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OLD TOWN – The Old Town softball team may be young and inexperienced at several positions, but the Indians showed remarkable poise in a Saturday morning game against Eastern Maine Class A rival Hampden.

Old Town rallied twice and used a two-run sixth inning to hold off the Broncos 7-5 at the high school field.

The Indians avenged an 8-5 loss earlier in the season.

“What I love about our team is that we never give up,” said Old Town senior Renee Thibodeau, who doubled twice and scored a run in the first inning despite a collision at home plate.

“We showed a lot of heart,” she added. “We’ve had to do that a few times this year and hopefully we’ll continue to do it.”

Old Town goes to 5-4, while Hampden falls to 2-3.

The Indians had a 4-3 advantage entering the sixth inning but the Broncos put two runs across to take a 5-4 lead.

Sophomore Monica Hussey, who picked up the pitching win, started the Old Town rally with a leadoff single. Emelie Richard reached on an error that sent Hussey to third, and Hussey scored on a passed ball. Richard scored on another error and, later in the inning, Erin Sherman reached on a fielder’s choice and came in on an error.

Hussey sealed Old Town’s win in the top of the seventh, inducing two groundouts and striking out the final batter of the game. She finished with seven strikeouts and no walks.

“Her changeup was really working well,” said Thibodeau, the starting catcher. “She’s been working on it and it showed today.”

Richard and Sara Jones each had an RBI single for Old Town.

The teams battled back and forth all game. The Broncos opened with a run in the first; the Indians responded with a three-run first. Old Town added another run in the third; Hampden scored two runs in the fourth. Ashlea Ireland’s RBI double and Amy Ryder’s RBI single in the fifth were the biggest hits of the game for Hampden.

Ireland took the tough loss, allowing just five hits and no walks while striking out three. Six of Old Town’s runs were unearned.

“That’s been the whole problem this year, the mental errors,” said Hampden coach Rodney Wells. “The pitchers have done a fantastic job but we haven’t put it together behind them. We’ve still got a ways to go but it’s early in the season.”

Ireland went 3-for-4 with a double and two singles. Ryder had an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the first. Evon Hudspeth and Cheryl Morris added two singles apiece.

INDIANS 7, BRONCOS 5

Hampden (2-3) Old Town (5-4)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Morris, ss 4 1 2 0 Ouellette, cf 3 0 0

Hudspeth, 2b 4 3 2 0 Thibodeau, c 3 1 0

Thompson, rf 3 0 1 0 Jones, rf 3 2 1

Ireland, p 4 1 3 2 Hussey, p 3 0 0

Ryder, lf 2 0 1 1 a-Higgins 0 2 0

Billings, cf 3 0 0 0 Richard, lf 3 1 1

Littlefield, 1b 4 0 0 0 Saucier, 3b 3 0

Aylward, 3b 4 0 0 0 Day, 2b 2 0 0 0

Kiser, dh-c 4 0 0 0 Sherman, ss 3 1 0

Schrage, c 0 0 0 0 Surette, dh 2 0 0

b-Wollstadt 1 0 0 0

Totals 32 5 9 3 Totals 26 7 5 2

a-ran for Hussey in first, sixth; b-grounded out for Surette in sixth

Hampden 100 202 0 ? 5

Old Town 301 003 x ? 7

E?Billings, Aylward, Schrage, Morris, Thompson; Hussey 2, Swandal; LOB?Hampden 9, Old Town 2; 2B?Ireland; Thibodeau 2; S?Billings; Day; SF?Ryder; SB?Littlefield; Richard

Hampden IP H R ER BB SO

Ireland (L,1-2) 6 5 7 1 0 3

Old Town IP H R ER BB SO

Hussey (W,2-3) 7 9 5 4 0 5

HBP?Ryder by Hussey; WP?Hussey; PB?Schrage 3; T?1:33; ATT?75 (est.)