Staff Writer
Despite early morning rain on Saturday, the afternoon began warming up, along with Fort Fairfield and Limestone’s softball teams. The Lady Tigers traveled to take on the Lady Eagles in a semifinal Eastern Maine Class D softball playoff game. Having split their regular season games, Saturday’s matchup proved to be exciting.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Super fans cheered the Limestone softball team to victory during the game between the Eagles and Fort Fairfield on Saturday, June 13.
Eagle pitcher Jasmine Cote took the mound to start off the game and ended the top of the first with three up and three down. Pitching for Fort Fairfield was Kelsie York and Limestone’s first at-bat saw Kellie Peers move to second after singling and stealing. Victoria St. Pierre walked and stole second, moving Peers to third and putting two runners in scoring position for Stacy Bernier, who promptly knocked a homerun out of the park, giving LCS a first inning 3-0 lead. Fort Fairfield remained scoreless for the next three innings, leaving Amanda Hotham and Kelsie Wilson stranded in scoring positions.
Limestone’s next trip around home came in the third inning when St. Pierre, who doubled, round third on another double by Bernier. Fort Fairfield struggled to remain composed as Limestone ended the inning but came back in the fourth with two more unearned runs as Mylie Denslow and Stephanie Leighton both stole home.
It seemed the Lady Tigers might rally in the top of the fifth as Katelyn Godin started off Fort Fairfield’s scoring by stealing home on a wild pitch and two more runs came in before the end of the inning. Still, the Lady Tigers trailed 6-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth, and, as six more runs came in from LCS, the game seemed to be decided. St. Pierre knocked a line drive through third and short and came home on a bunt by Chelsea Leighton that sent Bernier to third. Tiger York walked Eagles Denslow and Amanda Allen and, on a passed ball, both C. Leighton and Bernier came home. Fort Fairfield’s Sarah Hebert grabbed a hit at shortstop and got the out at second to end the inning, but not before LCS had widened the gap to a 12-3 lead.
In the sixth, Fort Fairfield sent home two more runs after Wilson and York got on base. Amber Wasson walked to load the bases and both York and Kelly Lynch scored on a single from Courtney Churchill.
Now, down 12-5, the Tigers would have one more chance to tie the game or take the lead. But Limestone put an end to that possibility, driving in five runs in their sixth inning at-bat to take the win by the mercy rule.
Limestone’s first two runs in the sixth came off of a S. Leighton in-the-park home run which knocked in Bernier as well. The Limestone Lady Eagles played in the Eastern Maine Class D softball championship Tuesday afternoon in Brewer.
On Thursday of last week, the Lady Eagles defeated Deer Isle-Stonington 11-4 as Limestone rallied in nine runs in the fifth inning to break the tie and take the win. Deer Isle responded to Limestone’s two runs in the fifth, with two runs of their own, but, in the bottom of the fifth, Eagle Victoria St. Pierre had a two-run single to start LCS/MSSM off on their streak. St. Pierre had a total of four RBIs and two singles while Kellie Peers contributed a single and two RBIs.
Staff photo/Abigail Hunt
Kellie Peers, of Limestone, leaps into the arms of a fellow teammate after the Lady Eagle’s sent home their final two runs to outscore the Lady Tigers 17-5 in a Class D semifinal softball match. Peers and her team, along with coach Ryan O’Neal, left corner, traveled down to Brewer on June 16 to take on Woodland in the Eastern Maine softball championship. Results from Tuesday’s game will be in next week’s Aroostook Republican.
Staff photo/Abigail Hunt
Stacy Bernier, left, and Limestone pitcher Jasmine Cote dodge each other in an attempt to catch a pop fly during their semifinal game against Fort Fairfield. Not only did Cote make the catch, but she pitched a five-run game to her Lady Tiger opponents, leading the Eagles to a 17-5 victory and a trip to the Eastern Maine Class D championship game in Brewer.
