West senior All-Stars take two from East

AUGUSTA – Western Maine softball teams may have lost in three of the four high school state championships in the past week, but the West teams looked the stronger of the two regions in Thursday’s Maine Softball Coaches’ Association Senior All-Star games at Cony Park.

The A-B West All-Stars pounded out 10 hits to earn a 9-3 win over the East All-Stars, while the C-D West All-Stars shut down the East 6-0 in Thursday’s first game.

In the A-B game, the West team looked as if it had played together before, the way the all-stars were able to create offense and move baserunners with stolen bases, bunts, and sacrifice flies.

“We just couldn’t get the bats going, I guess,” said Bucksport’s Jill Richards. “Our pitchers did well, though.”

The West had a 5-0 lead in the top of the seventh of the nine-inning game, but the East came alive in the bottom of the inning, starting with Brewer’s Anna Corey. She hit a double to center field, breaking up the no-hitter, and advanced on an error that allowed Skowhegan’s Whitney Fortier to get to first. Cassy Martel of Skowhegan hit a groundball to right to score Corey and send Fortier to third.

Fortier scored on a single by Old Town’s Jen Higgins, while Martel came in on a sacrifice bunt by Monica Hussey of Old Town.

Greely of Cumberland Center’s Michelle Robb hit an RBI triple in the top of the ninth.

Richards stole three bases but was thrown out trying to steal third in the bottom of the eighth.

“We went on our own for everything,” she said. “At first I was nervous, but we’ve played so much ball in our lives, so we know what we’re doing.”

In the C-D game, five West pitchers combined to mow down the East batters, allowing only two hits to go with 16 strikeouts.

Jay’s Bree Loon, the Western Maine Class C Player of the Year, started the game and struck out six of the first seven batters she faced.

“They were just good pitchers,” said Penquis of Milo’s Dani Graves, a pitcher who was named the Eastern Maine Class C Player of the Year. “I know I haven’t really hit well all year, and they were good.”

The West scored four runs in the third inning on a two-run single by Emily Goss of St. Dominic in Auburn, an RBI single by Sarah Whitfield of Wiscasset, and an RBI sacrifice by Telstar of Bethel’s Kara Jacques.

Penobscot Valley of Howland’s Tiffany Brown walked in the top of the eighth but was eventually throw out at the plate for the third out of the inning. The East had seven baserunners on walks and two errors.

“It would have helped if we had steal signs and that kind of thing, but then again, we didn’t have that many people on base,” Graves said with a smile.

Central of Corinth’s Jenny Rollins, who had an RBI single in the Red Devils’ 2-1 win over Telstar in Monday’s Class C state final, had a groundball single in the third and stole second, but was stranded there. Mattanawcook of Lincoln’s Shannon Pietras had a bunt single in the seventh and advanced on an error but was left there thanks to a West double play.

(C-D Game)

East 000 000 000 – 0 2 1

West 004 010 01x – 6 6 2

Graves, Rideout (3), Spooner (5), Ives (7), Dublin (8) and Mulherin, Pickering (3), Mulherin (5), Pickering (7), St. Pierre (8); Loon, Goss (3), Walker (5), Coonradt (7), Watts (9) and Fetterhoff, Dorion (3), Dalessandro (5), Fetterhoff (7), Dalessandro (9)

(A-B Game)

West 000 120 204 – 9 10 4

East 000 000 300 – 3 4 5

Robb, Cofford (3), Chamberlain (7) and Shannon, St. Onge (3), Sevigny (7); Blais, Arsenault (3), Veinote (7) and Morin, Coleman (3), Burke (7)