November 22, 2024
ALL-STAR SOFTBALL

East A-B, West C-D stars post wins Bucksport’s Andrews, Cony’s Gaslin, Carrabec’s Williams provide sparks

AUGUSTA – Bucksport’s Alice Andrews is heading to the University of Maine next year, but she doesn’t plan to play any varsity sports there. So Andrews helped make the final softball game of her career a memorable one.

Andrews singled, scored two runs and played four innings behind the plate as the East A-B team jumped on some West errors and struggles in the circle to roll to an 11-1 victory Thursday evening in the first game of an all-star doubleheader at Cony Park.

“It’s kind of sad, but I had a lot of fun,” Andrews said of playing in her last game. “I was kind of nervous coming here because they’re all good players but I was glad to play with them.”

The West’s C-D stars did the same thing to their East counterparts, taking advantage of miscues while shutting down the East at the plate. The West earned a 13-4 win in the nightcap of the Maine Association of Softball Coaches games.

Leavitt of Turner’s Sam St. Hilaire was strong in the A-B game, starting in the circle for the East. She struck out five in two innings and was named Miss Maine Softball in an awards ceremony between games.

In the A-B game, the East had an early lead but put the game away with four runs in the fourth. Messalonskee of Oakland’s Meghan Goodrow hit a two-run single in that inning, while Andrews scored on a sacrifice fly by Cony’s Devon Gaslin. Goodrow later scored on an error.

“It’s tough to play with people you don’t know but we took advantage of [the West errors],” said St. Hilaire, who scored three runs and reached base twice.

The East stars ran the bases well, as if they had worked out signs before the game. But with no practice time, the players relied on natural ability.

“We just went out and did it,” Andrews said. “A couple of times we were told to steal. But we just talked before the game, got to know each other.

Gaslin smacked a three-run triple to left-center in the seventh.

Trisha Shorey of Lake Region in Naples tripled and scored a run in the third but East pitchers Clarice Pepper of Messalonskee, Medomak of Waldoboro’s Emily Havener and Cony’s Amanda Lapointe limited the West to just four baserunners from there.

In the C-D game, the East tried a comeback in the sixth with two runs on three hits, but the West’s 11-run lead was too much to overcome. The West racked up 18 hits.

West pitchers struck out 16, gave up seven hits and walked seven.

Carrabec of North Anson’s Marcie Williams got the start and pitched three scoreless innings, allowed one hit and struck out six. She caught three East batters looking in the first.

“My fastball was working pretty well,” said Williams, who had more than 120 strikeouts this year.

The West piled on four runs in the fifth when Elyse White of Sacopee and Lisbon’s Dominique Mathieu hit back-to-back two-run singles.

Williams, who singled twice, said she had a feeling the West would hit the ball hard.

“I was like, wow, we have some really awesome players,” she said. “It was exciting enough just to be on an all-star team.”

Penquis of Milo’s Erika Morrill had an RBI triple and Central of Corinth’s Shawna Bell had an RBI single in the sixth as the East rallied.

Bell reached base four times with two singles and an RBI. Mattanawcook of Lincoln’s Kasse Brown singled twice and drove in a run.

The coaches for the A-B East team were Brewer’s Kelly Cookson, Trent Hutchinson of Brunswick and Erskine of South China’s Lynn Chadwick. The A-B West coaches were Tom Griffin of Scarborough, J.R. Warren of Lake Region in Naples and Kathy Haseltine of Maranacook in Readfield.

For the C-D game, the East coaches were Central’s Durice Washburn and Ashland’s Terry Hunter. Rich Coughlin of Richmond, Sacopee of Hiram’s Tim Vacchiano and Georges Valley of Thomaston’s Rusty Worcester skippered the West.

Lindsay Tibbetts, the starting catcher for the America East champion University of Maine softball team and a former Noble of Berwick star, threw out the first pitch. Her sister Brittany, who was named the Gatorade Maine Player of the Year, pitched two innings Thursday.

(A-B Game)

West 001 000 00 – 1 5 5

East 110 400 50 -11 7 1

Bregman, Shorey (2), Tibbetts (3), Joyce (5), Segler (6), Grondin (7), Lizotte (8) and Hutzler, Dixon (4), Goslin (7); St. Hilaire, Havener (3), Pepper (5), Lapointe (7), and Keene, Andrews (3), Keene (5), Andrews (7)

(C-D Game)

West 120 341 011 – 13 18 2

East 000 002 011 – 4 7 3

Williams, Watts (4), Doughty (8), Fetterhoff (9) and Strong, Dorso (6), Mathieu (8); Brown, Michaud (5) and Lenentine, Arato (4), Bell (7)


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