HERMON, Maine — The Hermon High School softball team had won six straight games since dropping a 1-0 decision to Foxcroft Academy on May 6, but the Hawks found themselves trailing the Ponies 1-0 in the sixth inning of Thursday’s rematch.
But the Hawks scored four two-out runs in the sixth thanks to Karli Theberge’s run-scoring triple, Hailey Perry’s RBI double and Kylie Kennedy’s RBI single, and they went on to post a 4-1 triumph in a well-played Eastern Maine Class B game.
Defending state champ Hermon improved to 9-2, and Foxcroft Academy fell to 6-4.
Junior lefty Theberge pitched a complete game for her ninth win, striking out two, walking one and pitching out of numerous jams. She allowed seven hits.
Impressive Foxcroft freshman righty Jenna Clukey, who tossed the earlier shutout against Hermon, allowed just two hits through five innings and didn’t walk anyone. She threw only 52 pitches.
But Deanna Phipps drew the first walk off her to open the sixth, and Lexey MacManus sacrificed her to second.
Claire Petersen grounded to shortstop Grace Bickford, but Bickford’s throw to first was dropped by first baseman Desirae Brawn. However, the alert Brawn threw to third to nail Phipps for the second out.
Theberge tied the game with a long triple to the base of the right-field fence.
“I was just looking for a pitch to hit. I had a one-ball count so I knew I could wait. I was so pumped up to get that RBI,” said Theberge.
Perry delivered her with a long double off the left fielder’s glove.
“Karli was the one who got us going. I was trying to follow her up,” said Perry.
“[Clukey’s] pitches were getting higher and higher, and we needed to get on top of the ball,” added Perry, who hit a high pitch.
Kennedy grounded an infield single up the middle that was knocked down by diving shortstop Grace Bickford.
Three walks forced in the final run.
Bickford made several nice plays including a run-saving over-the-shoulder catch in the fifth inning.
“I just struggled to find the strike zone in the sixth. They were an aggressive team, and I had gotten them to swing at pitches they weren’t going to hit until the sixth when they started taking those pitches,” said Clukey.
“She’s a good little pitcher,” said Theberge. “They’ve come a long ways from previous years.”
Foxcroft went 6-10 a year ago.
The Ponies had runners on third in each of the first three innings, but Theberge stranded them by making clutch pitches.
A nifty backhanded play by third baseman Kennedy saved a run in the first.
“We couldn’t have done much better. We played good defense. We just couldn’t get a hit with runners in scoring position on a few occasions,” said Foxcroft coach Scott Anderson.
“We couldn’t string our hits together and they did [in the sixth],” said Clukey.
“They’re a good hitting team. I had great defense behind me today,” said Theberge.
Foxcroft scored its run in the fourth on Avery Carroll’s infield single, a pop fly lost in the sun by Kennedy; a fielder’s choice, Brawn’s scorching double to left and Abbi Bourget’s infield roller that went for a base hit. But center fielder Phipps threw out a runner at the plate after catching a fly ball to end the rally.
Theberge tripled and singled, and Kennedy singled twice for Hermon.
Clukey finished with five-hitter. She struck out one and walked four.
Junior Brawn had two doubles and a single for Foxcroft. Abbi Bourget had two singles, and Liz Richard, the Ponies’ only senior starter, had a double.