September 20, 2024
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL

St. Hilaire run in 10th leads Leavitt by Noble

BREWER – Sam St. Hilaire saw the sign, but she didn’t stop. And her daring baserunning earned the Leavitt of Turner softball team another Class A state title.

St. Hilaire scored the game-winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning when she got to third on a passed ball and then scampered home on a throw, lifting the undefeated Hornets to a 3-2 victory over Noble of Berwick in Monday’s state championship game at Coffin Field.

Leavitt finished the season with a 20-0 record.

It seemed fitting that the junior lefty be responsible for the win on the offensive side, because her effort in the circle wasn’t too shabby, either.

St. Hilaire struck out 17, had no walks, and scattered only six hits over 10 innings, winning a pitchers’ duel with Noble’s Brittany Tibbetts. The junior righty pitched well in defeat, fanning seven, walking two and give up six hits.

Neither team committed an error in the game, but the Knights (16-4) made a mental mistake that led to St. Hilaire’s winning run.

She led off the bottom of the 10th with a ground-ball single, beating out the tag at first, and advanced to second on a Laura Pratt sacrifice bunt. After a flyout, Tibbetts hit Gretchen Conn, putting her at first.

Tibbetts had an 0-1 count on Beth Ellis when a pitch got past Noble catcher Ashlyn Brooker. St. Hilaire went to third and started for home after Brooker threw the ball to an infielder in an attempt to get St. Hilaire at third.

St. Hilaire crossed the plate before an off-target throw home.

“[The third base coach] told me to stay, but I went,” she said. “I don’t know. I thought I would maybe have a chance of them throwing it around like they did.”

The game was scoreless through four innings and Tibbetts had a no-hitter going into the bottom of the fifth.

Noble got on the board first as Tibbetts and Hailey Kimball each hit an RBI single in the top of the fifth to give the Knights a 2-0 lead.

Leavitt countered in the bottom of the sixth when Pratt drove in a run on a groundout and Kristen Healy rapped an RBI double that plated St. Hilaire and tied the game.

St. Hilaire struck out seven in the final five innings, including the final two outs of the top of the 10th.

“After I gave up two runs, I just wanted to hold them down and let my team come up with runs like they do,” she said.

Kimball and Tibbetts hit two singles apiece.

HORNETS 3, KNIGHTS 2

(10 innings)

Noble (16-4) Leavitt (20-0)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

McComish, ss 4 0 0 0 St. Hilaire, p 5 2 0

Kimball, rf 4 0 2 1 Pratt, cf 4 0 1

Coffin, cf 4 0 0 0 K. Healy, c 5 0 1

Paquin, 1b 4 0 0 0 Conn, 1b 4 0 0

Surette, 3b 3 0 0 0 Ellis, 2b 4 0 0

Toussaint, dh 3 0 1 0 Leonard, 3b 4 0

Brooker, c 1 1 0 0 Dyer, rf 4 0 0

Baron, 2b 4 1 1 0 S. Healy, ss 3 0 0

O’Reilly, lf 4 0 0 0 Burgess, dh 3 1 0

Tibbetts, p 4 0 2 1 Paladino, lf 0 0 0

a-Blais 0 0 0 0

Totals 35 2 6 2 Totals 36 3 5 2

a-ran for Tibbetts in 3rd, 5th

Noble 000 020 000 0 ? 2

Leavitt 000 002 000 1 ? 3

Two outs when winning run scored

LOB?Noble 3, Leavitt 5; 2B?K. Healy; S?Pratt; SB?Blais; S. Healy, St. Hilaire

Noble IP H R ER BB SO

Tibbetts (L, 15-4) 9 2/3 5 3 3 2 7

Leavitt IP H R ER BB SO

St. Hilaire (W, 20-0) 10 6 2 2 0 17

HBP?Conn by Tibbetts; PB?Brooker; T?2:05; ATT?200 (est.)


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