Following a spring with plenty of spotty weather, which caused several postponements area softball teams are wrapping up regular season play and looking ahead toward the playoffs. There are a handful of games still to be played, but Thursday is the day for make-ups and the Heal Point standings will be finalized Friday. The post-season gets going with the preliminary round set for the beginning of next week.
To conclude the regular season, Washburn and Limestone-MSSM played Tuesday in Limestone, with today’s schedule seeing Washburn host Fort Fairfield, Wisdom hosting Central Aroostook and Presque Isle meeting up against Caribou at CHS.
In Class D standings as of Tuesday, Limestone-MSSM leads the way with its 13-0 mark, with Penobscot Valley of Howland right behind, also undefeated at 14-0. Those two teams met in last year’s EM championship.
Washburn is third at 10-3, followed by Ashland with an 11-5 mark.
Hornet coach Terry Hunter said the team’s “backed up schedule” due to postponements has limited practice time, but feels his team is still improving every time out.
“I feel we are getting better in all aspects of the game,” said the veteran coach, whose squad was eliminated in the quarterfinal round a year ago. “We are very consistent with our defense and on any given day, our hitting can be productive.”
Ashland carries a team batting average of .455, with Caitlin Paradis, a sophomore, leading the charge at .596. Allyx Beaulier (.565), Cassidy Pelletier (.550) and Macie Bellanceau (.500) all have impressive averages as well.
Ashland has utilized three pitchers, but Marissa Chasse and Jaci Deabay have seen a bulk of the work recently with Pelletier recovering from an injury.
“There are some very good teams this year in Class D and no matter what their record is when you get to the playoffs, it’s ‘one and done,’ so you better be on your game,” Hunter said.
Last week, Ashland had a very busy stretch with four games in five days. The Hornets came away with two victories, over Wisdom and Fort Kent, while falling to both Southern Aroostook and Limestone-MSSM.
In Thursday’s 17-2 victory over the Warriors, Chasse doubled and singled twice and combined with Deabay on the one-hitter on the mound. Against the Pioneers, Pelletier knocked in three runs with a double and a single as Ashland picked up a 12-3 triumph last Tuesday. Paradis and Bellanceau had three singles each and Laura Sturgeon registered a big game with two hits and three RBI.
Fort Fairfield was fifth at 8-6, with East Grand/GHCA sixth, Machias seventh and Stearns eighth. Teams in the top eight either draw a bye into the quarterfinal round or host a prelim game.
The ninth-place team was Deer Isle-Stonington, while Central Aroostook was 10th, Southern Aroostook 11th, Katahdin 12th, Bangor Christian 13th and Schenck of East Millinocket 14th. The top 14 teams make it into the playoffs with 20 teams in the division.
In other important Class D games played last week, Central Aroostook pulled off a point-worthy win Monday, doubling up on East Grand/GHCA by a score of 6-3. Karli Levesque, a sophomore, struck out eight batters and scattered four hits. She also led the offense with two hits and two RBI.
Washburn swept a doubleheader against Wisdom Thursday, winning 11-4 and 13-1. Nicole Olson had six hits in the twinbill to pace the offense. Liza Durrette had four RBI and was the winning pitcher in game one, while Carmen Bragg, Hannah Heald and Grace Braley were repeat hitters in the nightcap. The Tigers won a slugfest over Central Aroostook last Wednesday, 24-20.
In Class B, Gardiner was first with a perfect 16-0 record, while Hermon, Old Town and Nokomis were right behind and had combined for just two losses.
Oceanside of Rockland and Winslow were fifth and sixth, respectively. Presque Isle has had a strong bounceback season under second-year coach Terry Cummings and was in seventh place with a 10-5 record entering the game against the Vikings.
Presque Isle appears to have a home prelim game sewn up after winning 10 of its final 13 contests. Cummings said there have been several factors behind the surge. He said senior Carly Bell has had a strong season on the mound, with an earned run average of around 4.00, and has also been a hitting standout as evidenced by her .349 mark.
Others who have had success at the plate are Kelsey Gilson (.393), Hailey Cameron (.467) and Erin Ackerson (.364).
“The team has battled hard all season and has exceeded expectations,” Cummings said. “We look forward to ending the regular season on a high note and use that momentum in the playoffs.”
The Wildcats just had a single game last week, thrashing Fort Kent last Tuesday, 24-5.
Mount Desert Island was eighth, Erskine Academy of South China ninth, Camden Hills 10th, Medomak Valley 11th, Foxcroft Academy 12th and Belfast 13th.
