ORONO, Maine — It wasn’t July 4th, but there was no shortage of fireworks Thursday at the Orono High School softball field.
Two softball teams combined for five homers in Old Town’s wild 20-12 victory while Orono High School’s baseball and softball seniors were honored and two courageous girls, one from each school, were recognized for their battles with cancer in the Cancer Awareness game.
Orono High School junior Emily LeClair is the Red Riots’ starting first baseman after several months of chemotherapy and radiation sent her lymphoma into remission, and Old Town High School freshman Gabby Sherman is making significant progress in her battle with brain cancer. Sherman is hoping to play softball next season.
Orono jumped out to a 7-2 lead on two homers by junior shortstop Katelyn Richards, a three-run shot in the first inning and a grand slam in the second, but the Coyotes scored the next 18 runs before Orono pushed across five in the seventh.
Senior shortstop Mikayla Richards belted a solo homer in the fifth for Old Town and a three-run shot in the seventh, and sophomore Mckenna Smith had a three-run homer and picked up the win with five innings of five-hit, five-run relief.
Smith threw four scoreless innings while her mates built the 20-7 lead before surrendering the five runs in the seventh.
Class B Old Town improved to 10-3, and Class C Orono fell to 9-5 after having its six-game winning streak snapped.
“We got off to a bad start, but then we started focusing, and we timed [Orono pitcher Tianna Milton] up pretty well,” said Old Town’s Richards, adding that both of her home runs “felt good coming off the barrel of the bat.”
The Coyotes used a six-run fourth-inning rally to take an 8-7 lead.
Kayla Hayward doubled to trigger the rally, Olivia King singled and Olivia Westura delivered the first run with a bunt on which she was ruled safe at first when the first baseman came off the bag.
Natalie St. Louis walked, and Smith reached on an infield error to drive in another run.
Olivia Albert ripped a two-run double over the right fielder’s head to make it 7-6, and the final two runs scored on groundouts by Caitlyn King and Lauren Gasaway.
Richards’ solo homer and Smith’s three-run shot highlighted a seven-run fifth inning before Richards’ three-run homer keyed a five-run seventh inning.
Smith came on at the outset of the third inning and retired 12 of the first 14 hitters she faced with nine strikeouts before Orono rallied in the seventh.
“I knew I needed to throw strikes,” said Smith.
“It was a great comeback,” said Old Town coach Jenn Plourde. “Mckenna shut them down and our bats came alive.”
“Both teams can hit,” said Orono’s Richards. “I play with a lot of their girls, and they’re very respectable players. They’re fun to play against.”
“It was pretty crazy,” said LeClair, who singled and nearly homered in the seventh only to have her ball hit the fence for a two-run double.
“Our girls hit the ball well,” said Orono coach Kristen Espling. “It’s good stuff for our program to play these better teams.”
Richards had a single to go with her two homers for Old Town. Smith had a double and single to go with her homer; Hayward doubled and singled, and St. Louis and King singled twice each.
Orono’s Richards had a double to go with her two homers, and Lizzie White had three singles. LeClair was the other repeat hitter.