Norsworthy helps Presque Isle sweep Bapst

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BREWER – Under normal circumstances, what Angela Norsworthy did Tuesday would have been noteworthy.

The senior pitcher helped the Presque Isle softball team sweep a doubleheader from John Bapst of Bangor, winning the first game 3-2 and the second 6-4.

It was the way Norsworthy picked up her wins that was impressive. The righthander pitched 14 innings with strep throat, and on short notice. She was scheduled to pitch the first game against the Crusaders, but not the second. An injury to the backup pitcher changed things.

Norsworthy held up well, along with help from the Wildcats’ infielders and clutch hitters, and stopped a Bapst rally in the second game.

“She wasn’t feeling well today, and when our [second] pitcher got hurt in the first game it was a big surprise,” said PI coach Alan Curtis, whose 11-1 Wildcats are off to their best start in his six years. “But [Norsworthy] did very well today.”

The doubleheader was played at Brewer High School’s Coffin Field. Husson College’s O’Keefe Complex, where John Bapst (5-8) usually plays its home games, was unavailable this week.

In the first game, Norsworthy’s day changed when designated hitter-backup pitcher Krista Coffin left in the second inning with a shoulder injury. That meant Norsworthy would go in the nightcap.

Norsworthy found out Saturday she had strep throat and left practice early Monday to get more rest.

“It was a little difficult to breathe [in the first game],” she said. “In the second game I just put it behind me. I knew I had to finish it.”

Meanwhile, the Wildcats had to rally twice before finally putting away the Crusaders in the top of the seventh.

Molly Hamel got things started with a one-out single but she was forced out at second when Jodie Buckley got aboard via a fielder’s choice. Buckley stole second followed by Alison Young’s line-drive single to center field. Buckley scampered home for the winning run.

“It was up to me when I wanted to take a pitch, one that I knew I could hit well,” Young said. “Something waist-high, is what Coach always tells us. I was just happy that it dropped and [the defense] didn’t catch it. It was exciting.”

The Wildcats sealed the win with strong defense in the bottom of the inning after Bapst’s Hillary Laferriere recorded a leadoff single. Presque Isle forced out two runners at second and got the final runner at first.

Each team scored a run in the first. The Crusaders took a 2-1 lead in the fourth and Presque Isle tied it one inning later to set up Young’s RBI single. She also singled and scored in the fifth.

John Bapst stranded 10 baserunners and left the bases loaded in the first and fourth innings. The Crusaders left seven more in the second game.

“We came up short,” Bapst coach Bill Baker said. “We played well and they played very well. They got some key hits and we just didn’t get that. … [Norsworthy] did a nice job in key situations.”

In the second game, Norsworthy began to tire in the late innings and said afterward her arm was a bit sore.

She held the Crusaders to one run on two hits through the sixth – she did hit two straight batters in the second – but Bapst got to her in the seventh with RBI singles from Laferriere and Sheila Toomey. Whitney Sinclair and Kaci Harvey also singled and scored in the inning.

But Presque Isle’s early lead was too much for John Bapst.

Heather Fowler and Janna Clukey each had RBI singles in the top of the first as the Wildcats took a 3-0 lead. Molly Hamel recorded a sacrifice fly and an RBI in the third and Young singled to score Hamel in the sixth.

Fowler and Clukey each finished with three singles.

WILDCATS 3, CRUSADERS 2

(First Game)

Presque Isle (10-1) John Bapst (5-7)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Young, 2b 4 1 2 1 Sinclair, 2b 3 0 0

Glovins, ss 3 0 2 1 Ka. Harvey, ss 3 1 1

Park, pr 0 1 0 0 Laferriere, 1b 4 0 0

Donovan, 3b 3 0 0 0 Umphrey, pr 0 0 0

Norsworthy, p 3 0 1 1 Da. Richard, p 2 0

Fowler, c 3 0 0 0 Toomey, 3b 3 0 1

Currie, cf 2 0 0 0 Perkins, c 4 0 0

Clukey, rf 3 0 0 0 Lawrence, lf 3 0 0

Hamel, 1b 3 0 1 0 De. Richard, cf 3 1 0

Legassie, pr 0 0 0 0 Ogden, rf 3 0 0

Coffin, dh 1 0 0 0

Buckley, dh 2 1 0 0

Freeman, lf 0 0 0 0

Totals 27 3 6 3 Totals 28 2 6 2

Presque Isle 100 010 1 – 3

John Bapst 100 100 0 – 2

E-Ka. Harvey; LOB-Presque Isle 5, John Bapst 10; SB-Young, Buckley; Toomey

Presque Isle IP H R ER BB SO

Norsworthy (W, 7-1) 7 6 2 1 5 5

John Bapst IP H R ER BB SO

Da. Richard (L, 5-7) 7 6 3 3 1 6

PB-Fowler; T-1:35; ATT-25 (est.)

WILDCATS 6, CRUSADERS 4

(Second Game)

Presque Isle (11-1) John Bapst (5-8)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Young, 2b 4 1 2 1 Sinclair, 2b 3 1 0

Glovins, ss 4 1 0 0 Ka. Harvey, ss 4 1 0

Donovan, 3b 4 0 1 0 Laferriere, 1b 4 1 1

Norsworthy, p 4 1 0 0 Da. Richard, p-rf 0

Fowler, c 4 1 3 1 Ky. Harvey, ph 1 0 1

Legassie, pr 0 0 0 0 Toomey, 3b 3 0 1

Currie, cf 4 0 0 0 Huckestein, rf-c 3 0

Clukey, rf 4 0 3 1 Lawrence, lf 0 1 0

Hamel, 1b 2 1 0 1 Umphrey, ph 2 0 0

Buckley, dh 3 1 0 0 De. Richard, cf 3 0 0

Freeman, lf 0 0 0 0 Perkins, c 1 0 0

Horne, p 1 0 0 0

Kevit, ph 1 0 0 0

Totals 33 6 9 4 Totals 29 4 7 3

Presque Isle 311 001 0 – 6

John Bapst 000 100 3 – 4

E-Young, Donovan; Sinclair 2, Ka. Harvey 2, Laferriere; LOB-Presque Isle 7, John Bapst 9; DP-Ka. Harvey-Sinclair-Laferriere; SF-Hamel; SB-Young 2, Clukey 2, Donovan, Fowler, Hamel, Legassie; Sinclair 2, Da. Richard, Lawrence, Toomey, Ka. Harvey

Presque Isle IP H R ER BB SO

Norsworthy (W, 8-1) 7 7 4 3 2 2

John Bapst IP H R ER BB SO

Da. Richard (L, 5-8) 3 5 5 3 0 3

Horne 4 2 1 1 0 2

HBP-Huckestein (by Norsworthy), Lawrence (by Norsworthy); T-1:30; ATT-50 (est.)