Eighth-ranked Panthers continue magical run

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BREWER – The Medomak Valley of Waldoboro softball team has enjoyed a magical journey through the Eastern Maine Class B playoffs, as the eighth-ranked Panthers have upset top-seeded Hermon and No. 4 John Bapst of Bangor on their way to the Eastern Maine finals.

Momentum was on the Panthers’ side, and they took full advantage of it, cranking out 12 hits en route to an 11-4 victory over third seed and reigning regional champ Winslow at Brewer High’s Coffin Field Wednesday afternoon.

Medomak (15-5), which won its first EM Class B crown – the Panthers won the Eastern Maine title in 1999 while in Class A – advanced to Saturday’s 4 p.m. state final against Fryeburg Academy, also at Coffin Field.

Winslow finishes 16-4.

The Panthers pounced early and often, taking advantage of two errors and a wild pitch to plate two runs in the top of the first and never trailed.

“Today we came prepared, and our girls hit very well,” said Medomak coach Glenn Barbour. “Stuff like that can rattle stuff up pretty fast and give you confidence.”

After the Black Raiders plated a run in the bottom of the first, the Panthers struck back for three in the third and four more in the fourth.

Cleanup hitter Tessa Dodge spearheaded the offense with two doubles, a triple, single, two RBIs and two runs scored.

A number of those hits went the opposite way, since Winslow pitcher Katie Knowlen wasn’t about to give Dodge anything juicy to hit.

“I was really focused because I knew they weren’t going to pitch me down the middle, so I had to hit the outside or inside pitches,” said Dodge, a junior infielder.

The top of Barbour’s order gave the Black Raiders fits, as the 1 through 5 batters drove in nine runs and scored nine more.

“We have a great bunch of hitters and I just hope it stays like that for the state championship,” said junior pitcher Kayla Vannah, who improved to 10-4.

The opportunistic Panthers capitalized on four Winslow errors, including one to lead off the fourth which started Medomak’s biggest rally.

“Once you get down 5-6 runs you can’t play small-ball anymore and a big part of our game is small-ball,” said Winslow coach Terry Parlin.

Medomak came into this one with a boatload of confidence after defeating two of the region’s top pitchers in Ashley Kelley of Hermon and Devin Richard of John Bapst in the previous two rounds.

“They did get hot at the right time, there’s no two ways about it, they did very well against all those pitchers,” Barbour said.

The Black Raiders had plenty of chances, including a bases-loaded threat in the sixth, but timely hits were lacking as they left 11 runners on base.

“We could never seem to get the big hit and it just took the wind out of our sails,” Parlin said.

Leadoff batter Melissa Ambridge singled and scored in the third for Medomak. Miranda Conary plated two runs with a double in the fourth and singled, stole two bases, including a steal of home in the first, and scored three runs.

Katie Caron got Winslow on the board in the first, as she plated Jill Smith, who had singled, with a groundout to third. Knowlen knocked in a run with a single in the third and Liz Cheesman produced a fifth-inning run with a groundout.

rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net

990-8193

PANTHERS 11, BLACK RAIDERS 4

Medomak Valley (15-5) Winslow (16-4)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Ambridge, 1b 4 2 1 0 Smith, cf 4 1 0

Conary, rf 3 3 2 2 Bernard, dh 3 1 0

Jameson, ph 1 1 1 0 Fisher, c 4 0 0

Santheson, lf 3 1 1 1 Caron, ss 4 1

Dodge, 3b 4 2 4 3 Knowlen, p 3 0 1

Hunt, c 3 0 2 3 Vigue, pr 0 0 0

Koon, pr-ph 1 0 0 0 Cheesman, 3b 4 0 1

Kent, ss 4 0 0 0 Gordon, 2b 2 0 0

Keefe, 1b 4 0 0 0 Loubier, ph 1 0 0

Lee, 2b 4 1 0 0 Pelletier, rf 2 0 0

Vannah, p 3 1 1 0 Herman, ph 1 0 0

Riordan, lf 3 0 2 0

Sylvester, ph 1 0 0 0

Ouellette, 1b 0 0 0 0

Totals 34 11 12 9 Totals 32 4 9 3

Medomak Valley 203 402 0 – 11

Winslow 101 011 0 – 4

E-Hunt, Dodge; Caron, Fisher, Cheesman, Ouellette; LOB-Medomak Valley 4, Winslow 11; 2B-Conary, Santheson, Dodge 2; Caron; 3B-Dodge; SB-Conary 2, Dodge; Pelletier

Medomak Valley IP H R ER BB SO

Vannah (W, 10-4) 7 9 4 3 4 3

Winslow IP H R ER BB SO

Knowlen (L, 16-4) 7 12 11 5 0 8

WP-Knowlen; T-1:47; ATT-250 (est.)