STANDISH – There wasn’t much separating the softball teams from Winslow and Cape Elizabeth in Saturday afternoon’s Class B state championship game.

Actually, the game was so close it literally came down to one pitch (the last one) and a few inches of turf.

The Capers won the school’s first-ever softball state title with a 2-1 win over the Black Raiders at Ward Field on the Saint Joseph’s College campus, but it was anything but easy.

The Capers took a 2-0 lead into the top of the seventh, but the Raiders put together some bottom-of-the-order magic as No. 7 hitter Elizabeth Fisher ripped a one-out single to shallow right and motored into second after the ball was bobbled by the right fielder. A wild pitch moved her over to third, but Cape starting pitcher Tricia Thibodeau struck out Kristen Cormier for the second out. Ninth hitter Krystal Lacombe then hit an RBI single into shallow left center.

That set the stage for leadoff hitter Jillian Smith who jumped all over a Thibodeau fastball and sent it screaming down the left-field line. The ball was foul by a few inches. If it had been fair, the worst Winslow would have had was runners at second and third.

Smith struck out on a wild pitch, but the ball got by the catcher and she reached first safely. With runners at first and second, Thibodeau bore down and struck out Ali Kriegel with a mix of riseballs and fastballs on four pitches to notch the win.

“I’ve played in enough games to know you just have to concentrate on the hitter and not worry about what’s going on around the bases,” said Thibodeau when asked how she dealt with the pressure.

Thibodeau (10-2) scattered five hits in seven innings while walking one batter and notching eight strikeouts.

“My rise was really working for me today and I just had to be confident with that pitch,” she said. “I would normally throw more changeups and a couple drops, but my rise was working so well by the third inning, I pretty much went with that.”

Thibodeau’s pitch location kept Winslow’s batters a bit off-balance as well, but the Raiders still managed to put themselves in position to score more than once.

Winslow got runners to second and third with one out in the second, but stranded them on a flyout and strikeout. The Raiders again got runners at second and third with one out in the fifth, but Thibodeau escaped the jam with an infield popup and another well-timed strikeout.

“She did a great job, especially on that riseball,” said Winslow coach Terry Parlin, whose Raiders finish up 17-2. “We even knew the sign and knew it was coming, but it was just so hard to lay off it. I think we were a little too aggressive on that one all day long.

“We had a few chances and I think twice we had the top of the order up with people on the bases, but we just couldn’t get the big hit.”

Cape got one big hit – a 200-foot, two-run homer down the right-field line by sophomore catcher Colleen Martin with two outs in the third – and made it stand up.

“It was more outside and it was right in my power zone,” said Martin, who has four home runs this year. “I got the right part of the bat on it and just hoped it would get out.”

CAPERS 2, BLACK RAIDERS 1

Winslow (17-2) Cape Elizabeth (17-3)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Smith, cf 4 0 0 0 Wolanski, rf 3 1 0

Kriegel, 2b 4 0 0 0 Martin, c 3 1 2

Turner, c 3 0 0 0 Kertes, 2b 3 0 0

Davis, p 3 0 1 0 Thibodeau, p 2 0 0

Cheesman, rf 2 0 0 0 Balfour, 3b 3 0 0

Caron, ss 3 0 0 0 Mancall, pr 0 0 0

Fisher, 3b 3 1 2 0 Richardson, ss 1 0 0

Cormier, 1b 3 0 0 0 Moran, cf 2 0 0

Lacombe, dh 3 0 2 1 Donahue, pr 0 0 0

Gordon, pr 0 0 0 0 Donovan, lf 2 0 0

Boulos, 1b 2 0 0 0

Totals 28 1 5 1 Totals 21 2 4 2

Winslow 000 000 0 – 1

Cape Elizabeth 002 000 x – 2

E-Wolanski, Moran; LOB-Winslow 7; Cape 3; HR-Martin (4)

Winslow IP H R ER BB SO

Davis (L, 9-2) 6 4 2 2 2 4

Cape Elizabeth IP H R ER BB SO

Thibodeau (W, 10-2) 7 5 1 1 1 8

WP-Thibodeau 2; PB-Martin; T-1:29; ATT-500 (est.)