Hornet girls are EM Class D softball runners-up
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
BREWER — Sometimes a game just shouldn’t take place. Such was the case Tuesday as the Ashland Hornets squared off against Deer Isle-Stonington for the Eastern Class D softball championship.
Played under a constant, steady rain, that saw players from both teams slipping and sliding on a surface that looked more like a football field than a softball diamond, No. 5 Ashland came out on the losing end of a 28-2 decision to No. 2 Deer Isle-Stonington.
Staff Photo/Joseph Cyr
TEAM UNITY — The Ashland Hornets gather together to hold up the Eastern Class D runner-up trophy.
The Mariners (17-2 overall) advanced to Saturday’s state championship against Richmond, which the Mariners won 7-2. It marks the second straight year that Deer Isle-Stonington appeared in the state title game. Ashland ends its season with an 11-7 record.
Whitney Donovan and Anna Paradis shared pitching duties for Ashland. The two combined to allow 19 hits and 15 walks, with one strikeout. Brook LaBelle handled the catcher’s duties for the Hornets.
Sydney Ouzts twirled a solid game for the Mariners, despite the poor conditions, allowing just two hits, six walks and three hit batters, with eight strikeouts. Abby Grindle served as her battery mate.
“You come here hoping to play well,” said Ashland coach Terry Hunter. “They [Deer Isle] have a great team and we didn’t play one of our best games. We had a hard time holding onto the ball because the conditions here were just atrocious. But it’s the same thing for both teams.”
Staff Photo/Joseph Cyr
TAG — Ashland’s Whitney Donovan, who moved from the pitching circle to shortstop in Tuesday’s game, prepares to slap the tag on a Deer Isle-Stonington courtesy runner. Donovan later returned to the circle to finish the game for the Hornets.
Rapping hits for Ashland were Kim Baker and Chelsea Hammond. Julie Hutchins led the Mariners with four singles, while Amber Jones and Abby Grindle each had a double and two singles; Chelsea Brown and Emily Cormier, three singles each; Janelle Ciomei and Ouzts, two singles apiece; and Heidi Brewer, a double.
Hanging onto the ball in the steady rain proved difficult for both pitchers early on.
“I don’t even know how to explain it,” Donovan said of trying to pitch in the downpour. “Whatever I did, just didn’t work. You can’t dry the ball off because you are all wet. You just have to do your best.”
Ashland took a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when LaBelle drew a lead-off walk, moved to second and third on wild pitches and scored on a balk by Ouzts.
That 1-0 lead proved short-lived as the Mariners plated 20 runs in the home-half of the inning, as DI-S walked and hit its way around the bases. All nine batters in the lineup reached base and scored a run before the first out was registered.
“We had the one terrible inning where we got so far behind, we just couldn’t seem to get an out,” coach Hunter said. “You can’t do that against a team like this, because there’s just no way of coming back unless you really get lucky. It just wasn’t there for us today.”
Ashland scored its second run in the top of the fifth inning when Anna Paradis walked and stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. She scored when Donovan hit a fly ball behind third base that was dropped by Mariner Holly Brewer.
Staff Photo/Joseph Cyr
HOT CORNER — Gabby Cyr prepares to field a grounder to third base.
With five freshmen and two sophomores comprising the 10 players in the game Tuesday, the future certainly looks bright for the Hornets. The Hornets came into the playoffs on a red-hot tear, winning 10 of its last 12 games.
“We hit the ball well and learned so much this year,” Hunter said. “With Whitney on the mound, we finally found the combination that worked right. I can’t say enough good things about our pitcher and catcher. Today, she just couldn’t hang onto the wet ball.”
Coach Hunter said his team showed marked improvement over the season, overcoming injuries and shuffling the lineup. He was extremely proud of his club for making it to the regional championship.
“It just wasn’t there for us today,” he said. “You have those days sometimes. It’s too bad it happened to come at this time, but we are just so happy to be here today.”
“It was very cool to get to this game,” said Donovan. “This is actually the second one I have played in. It meant a lot to me, being my senior year. We really didn’t think we would get this far. I’m just so proud of everyone.”
