ORONO – The Orono softball team came into Wednesday’s game against Dexter ranked atop the Class C Heal Point standings, so this was a pivotal game for the Tigers.

Dexter rose to the occasion, riding the strong pitching performance of Michelle Chapman and error-free defense behind her to a 2-0 victory at the Orono High field.

While Chapman struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter, the righthander kept her pitches down in the zone and induced 10 ground-ball outs.

“[It was] good location, she pitched a good game that way,” said Dexter coach Galen Chapman, Michelle’s father.

The Tigers, who improve to 4-1, gave Chapman all the run support she’d need in the first two frames. Becky Johnson singled and scored on an error in the first while Sarah Atwater singled and came around on Olivia Gardner’s RBI double in the second.

Five of the groundouts Chapman induced were back to the circle, with the most spectacular being the last one in the bottom of the fifth.

With Orono’s Vanessa Leture standing on second base, Chelsea Paul hit a rocket back through the box that appeared ticketed for center field, but Chapman made a backhanded stab to end that threat.

“I was thinking it was going to come back to me, I really had to be alert about it,” said Chapman. “I just tried to be quick and tried to get it to first.”

Knowing there were some key heal points up for grabs, this victory will prove crucial for Dexter in the long run.

“That makes us feel great, we knew we had to get this win in the book and get ourselves some points,” Michelle Chapman said.

Galen Chapman added, “we just had to be up for this game. We play a lot of teams that don’t win many games, so we need to win big games like this.”

Orono, which slipped to 5-2, couldn’t put together the big innings that have been vital to its success this spring.

“If you look at those two we won against Penquis [of Milo] and Old Town, when we got people on base we were able to move them up, [and] got clutch hits to drive them in, and today it wasn’t there,” said Riots coach Bruce Cowan.

Orono ace Sara Pavento kept her team in striking distance, allowing only four hits and the two runs while striking out five and walking only one.

However, Chapman simply had the Riots’ hitters off balance, and once they got down two, it was difficult to go to the small-ball approach.

“She gave us a lot of trouble last year. You really have to work hard to scratch out runs against her,” said Cowan.

“We had the leadoff runner on a couple times, and had to sit and couldn’t bunt them up. That was big,” he added.

Sarah Thibeault doubled for Orono while Chelsea Paul’s sister Chloe, Amanda York, Jill Tuell and Leture all singled. Allyssa Crane and Sarah Atwater added single for the Tigers.

rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net

990-8193

TIGERS 2, RED RIOTS 0

(xxx Afternoon, xx innings)

Dexter (4-1) Orono (5-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Gardner, 2b 4 0 1 1 Che. Paul, lf 3 0 0

S. Conway, ss 4 0 0 0 Chl. Paul, ss 3 0

Johnson, cf 3 1 1 0 Tuell, cf 3 0 0

Chapman, p 3 0 0 0 Thibeault, rf 3 0 0

Lancaster, pr 0 0 0 0 Forst, 3b 3 0

Crane, 3b 2 0 1 0 York, 1b 3 0 0

Patterson, c 3 0 0 0 Leture, dh 3 0 0

Wing, lf 3 0 0 0 Fox, c 2 0 0 0

A. Conway, rf 3 0 0 0 White, ph 1 0

Atwater, 1b 3 1 1 0 Douglass, 2b 3 0 0

Pavento, p 0 0 0 0

Totals 28 2 4 1 Totals 27 0 6 0

Dexter 110 000 0 – 2

Orono 000 000 0 – 0

E-Wing; Forst, Douglass 2; LOB-Dexter 6, Orono 5; 2B-Thibeault; SB-Lancaster

Dexter IP H R ER BB SO

Chapman (W, 4-1) 7 6 0 0 0 9

Orono IP H R ER BB SO

Pavento (L, 5-2) 7 4 2 1 1 7

T-1:25; ATT-60 (est.)