Wadleigh one-hits Fort Kent No. 8 John Bapst advances to take on top-seeded Bucksport

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BANGOR – John Bapst High School junior righthander Gwen Wadleigh had never thrown a no-hitter in high school.

She came as close as you can without doing so on Tuesday, surrendering a line-drive single to Fort Kent counterpart Iris Guimond on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the seventh inning.

Wadleigh finished with a one-hit masterpiece, striking out 15 and walking three, as eighth seed John Bapst of Bangor blanked No. 9 Fort Kent 6-0 Tuesday in their Eastern Maine Class B preliminary round game at Husson College’s O’Keefe Softball Complex.

John Bapst, 8-9, travels to play top seed Bucksport, 14-2, in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Fort Kent finished at 10-7.

“I started thinking about [the no-hitter] around the fourth or fifth inning. I was like maybe, maybe [I’ll get one] because I’ve had a couple of one-hitters. But then coach [Bill Baker] jinxed it. I blame him. He told all the girls to get up and cheer me on because I was pitching a no-hitter and had two strikes on [Guimond],” chuckled Wadleigh.

“I think I might have jinxed myself because I was thinking about it. I was so close and there were so many people here to see it, too. Normally, nobody comes to our games. Then when it went out [into right-center], I said ‘Ah, no!’ It was supposed to be a rise ball but I left it hanging,” said Wadleigh.

“I knew it would be my last time at bat so I wanted to make it good,” said senior Guimond, who drilled her single.

Wadleigh was overpowering, striking out 11 of the first 12 hitters. She wound up throwing 73 strikes among her 112 pitches.

“She was excellent,” said Guimond. “Up north, we don’t have any fast pitchers like her.”

“She was the best pitcher we’ve seen, by far,” said Fort Kent coach Scott Pelletier.

Wadleigh said she stuck mostly with her fastball because the Warriors weren’t catching up to it.

Wadleigh also aided her own cause with a bloop two-run single to left that capped a four-run first inning. She singled again in the third to help set up the sixth run.

“It’s nice to start hitting again because I haven’t had a hit for a couple of games,” said Wadleigh.

Devan Richard, who made a great lunging catch on Marissa Albert’s liner to left in the third, started the first-inning rally with an infield single.

There were five walks and three wild pitches in the inning. Gwen Carter’s fielder’s choice and Hillary Laferriere’s bases-loaded walk produced the first two runs.

In the second, Danielle Richard walked, stole second and eventually scored when a throwing error was committed on Rachel Stearns’ infield single.

Amy Adams singled home a third-inning run.

Guimond pitched well after the first inning. She finished with a six-hitter, striking out two and walking eight.

CRUSADERS 6, WARRIORS 0

Fort Kent (10-7) John Bapst (8-9)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Albert, ss 3 0 0 0 De. Richard, lf 4 1 0

Labbe, 1b 2 0 0 0 Da. Richard, rf 2 1 0

Labrie, 2b 3 0 0 0 Stearns, ss 3 0 0

Babin, cf 2 0 0 0 MacDonald, ph 1 0 0

Bouchard, lf 3 0 0 0 Brown, 1b 2 1 0

Guimond, p 3 0 1 0 Benn, ph 1 0 0

Desjardins, c 2 0 0 0 Carter, c 3 1

Morneault, 3b 2 0 0 0 Colwell, ph 1 0

Plourde, rf 1 0 0 0 He. Laferriere, 2b 2 0

Michaud, ph 1 0 0 0 Hi. Laferriere, 3b 1 1

Wadleigh, p 3 0 2 Adams, dh 1 0 1 1 Scofield, cf 0 0 0 0

Totals 22 0 1 0 Totals 24 6 6 5

Fort Kent 000 000 0 – 0

John Bapst 411 000 x – 6

E-Morneault; LOB-Fort Kent 4, John Bapst 8; SB-Babin; Da. Richard 2

Fort Kent IP H R ER BB SO

Guimond (L,9-6) 6 6 6 5 8 2

John Bapst IP H R ER BB SO

Wadleigh (W,8-8) 7 1 0 0 3 15

WP-Guimond 3; T-1:25; ATT-75 (est.)