Trojans score in 7th to nip Eagles

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ELLSWORTH – It’s still early in the season, but the Mount Desert Island softball team has already shown it can win close games.

And the Trojans also know with Nia Megquier in the circle, they have a chance to pick up more wins.

MDI scratched out a seventh-inning run and Megquier struck out eight for a 4-3 victory over rival Ellsworth Tuesday afternoon during a drizzle at the high school field.

April Winchenbach scored what turned out to be the game-winning run in the top of the seventh for the 2-0 Trojans, who opened their season Saturday with a 2-1 win over Hermon.

“We really had to play small-ball because they were a good team defensively,” Megquier said of Tuesday’s win. “We had to do everything we could to get on base and get runs in.”

The Eagles and Catie Cravens, who pitched a three-hitter, took the loss in their season-opener.

Megquier has now struck out 18 batters in two wins for the Trojans. She gave up seven hits but walked just one.

“My fastball was working well,” she said. “I went inside and outside a lot. I was just working on keeping them off balance.”

Both teams scored a run in the first inning. MDI added another in the third and made it 3-1 in the top of the sixth, but Ellsworth rallied for two runs in the bottom of the sixth.

With the game tied at 3-3, No. 9 batter Winchenbach drew a leadoff walk, advanced to third on a Lauren Smith single, and scored on a wild pitch.

“Whenever we play MDI it’s always right down to the wire,” Ellsworth coach Ray Silsby said. “We have to play our best game with MDI and we’ve got things to work on.”

It was Cravens who recorded Ellsworth’s only walk, but it came with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Megquier induced a flyout to end the game.

Both teams stranded eight. Ellsworth left two in the fifth as Megquier fanned Cravens for the final out – after MDI coach Dennis Meehan asked umpire Dennis Harmon about the possibility of an intentional walk. Harmon said no, and Megquier responded with a three-pitch strikeout.

“I could see the [strategy] in trying to get her out, but I hate to give up a walk,” Megquier said. “I know she’s a good hitter so I had to be tricky.”

Megquier also drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the first. Lynne Bowden and Brienne Tinker each had an RBI single. Lauren Smith singled twice.

Tasha Manning led the Eagles with two singles, while Calla Lane had a pinch-hit RBI single and Cravens hit a run-scoring single in the first.

TROJANS 4, EAGLES 3

MDI (2-0) Ellsworth (0-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Smith, cf 4 1 2 0 Miller, rf 4 0 0

Ingalls, 2b 3 0 0 0 Jellison, cf 4 0 0

Megquier, p 2 0 0 1 Seavey, ss 4 1 0

Vaux, pr 0 0 0 0 Cravens, p 3 0 1

Bowden, c 4 0 1 1 Silsby, c 3 0 0

Meehan, pr 0 1 0 0 Harding, pr 0 1 0

Bartlett, lf 4 0 0 0 Manning, 1b 3 1 0

Tinker, ss 3 0 0 1 Brown, lf 2 0 0

Ross, 3b 2 0 0 0 Lane, ph 1 0 1

Burton, 1b 3 0 0 0 Richter, 2b 2 0 0

Winchenbach, rf 1 2 0 0 Crane, 2b 1 0

Rockwood, 3b 2 0 0 0

Schimpf, ph 1 0 0 0

Totals 26 4 3 3 Totals 30 3 7 2

MDI 101 001 1 – 4

Ellsworth 100 002 0 – 3

E-Ingalls, Burton; Cravens, Manning, Richter, Rockwood; LOB-MDI 8, Ellsworth 8; DP-Silsby-Seavey; S-Ross; SF-Megquier; SB-Seavey 3; Meehan

MDI IP H R ER BB SO

Megquier (W, 2-0) 7 7 3 3 1 8

Ellsworth IP H R ER BB SO

Cravens (L, 0-1) 7 3 4 3 5 5

WP-Megquier; Cravens 2; PB-Bowden; Silsby; T-1:42; ATT-50 (est.)