Morning Sentinel
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL: Erskine falls short in rematch with Maranacook
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BY MATT DIFILIPPO, Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 05/29/2009

SOUTH CHINA -- Here's Maranacook softball pitcher Sarah Maxwell's analysis of why the Black Bears are undefeated this season.

"I would say great defense, halfway decent pitching and great hitting," she said.

Maxwell may be selling herself just a little bit short, as she has been on the mound for all 14 Maranacook wins. The latest came Thursday afternoon, when she fired a two-hitter with 13 strikeouts in a 2-0 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B victory against Erskine.

Sam Morse pitched a four-hitter and struck out nine for Erskine (11-3). The Eagles had a rougher time against Maxwell than in the teams' first meeting May 18. In that game, also a 2-0 Maranacook victory, Erskine had six hits and struck out eight times.

"We came out stronger today than we did at Maranacook, defensively," Erskine coach Mike Soule said. "Offensively was just the opposite.

"At Maranacook, we put the ball in play right off the bat, and today we struggled through the first few innings."

Maxwell had a perfect game through four innings. In the fifth inning, she chatted on the phone with a former teammate's mother, casually saying, "We're doing good."

"I think softball is more of a relaxed ballgame," Maxwell said. "If you work yourself up, the more errors you're going to make and it's going to crack right then. It's a big game, but you got to stay relaxed and chill."

Maranacook had hits in each of the first two innings against Morse, then scored in the third without a hit. Katie Dore walked with one out, and Heidi Shaw bunted and reached on an error. Maxwell then reached on a misplayed groundball, and Dore came home from second on the play.

Later in the inning, Shaw broke for home on a wild pitch by Morse, but Erskine catcher Meryl Bond snagged the bounce off the fence and flipped to Morse for the out at the plate.

The score stayed 1-0 until the fifth. Lynn Cochran led off with an infield single, and Brooke Skidgel followed with a sacrifice bunt.

Cochran took third when the Eagles left the base uncovered, and continued home when the Eagles threw the ball away.

"The difference between 1-0 and 2-0 is huge," Maranacook coach Terry Hickey said. "So it just took all the pressure off us."

Erskine had one major threat, as Morse opened the fifth with a single up the middle and Cathy Batchelder got to first on an error. But Maxwell reared back and struck out the next three batters on 12 pitches.

Erskine's only other baserunners were Monique Moore, who singled in the sixth, and Morse, who walked in the seventh. The Eagles close their season with games against Oak Hill and Maine Central Institute.

"We just need to make sure we have a little momentum going into the playoffs," Soule said. "We've insured a decent spot in the playoffs, but now we need to make sure that we can take some momentum in with us."

Matt DiFilippo -- 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com

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