SCARBOROUGH – John Provost, the softball coach at Thornton Academy, simply shook his head and said, “That was the Alyssa Williamson Show.”

Indeed it was. Regarded as one of Maine’s best players for the last two years, Williamson put on a command performance Saturday to lead Scarborough High back to the regional championship game for the seventh consecutive year.

Williamson, a junior left-hander, hit a pair of homers, drove in six runs and was also the winning pitcher as the top-ranked Red Storm downed Thornton Academy 10-1 in a Western Class A softball semifinal.

“You can see the quality player she is, on the mound and at the plate,” said her coach, Tom Griffin.

Scarborough (17-1) will play No. 3 Sanford at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday for the regional title.

Williamson, who has verbally agreed to accept a scholarship from Drexel University, began it with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first to give the Red Storm the lead. Then she yanked a three-run homer to right field in the fourth to make it 7-0. Finally, in the sixth, she hit a two-run homer to left to make it 9-0.

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“We all know no matter what the situation is, she can step to the plate and come through for us,” said teammate Marissa O’Toole.

Williamson wasn’t the only one hitting: Grace Farnkoff had two hits and scored three runs, Erin Giles had two singles and two RBI, and Megan Murrell and Maggie Murphy each had three hits.

“They put the ball in play,” said Provost. “They hit the ball well.”

The Trojans (13-5) did too. But they stranded runners early.

“We could have made them play from behind,” said Provost. “But it didn’t happen.”

Scarborough’s defense had something to do with it.

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O’Toole ended a Trojans threat in the second when she fielded a squibbler, tagged out a runner going to second and threw to first for a double play. Left fielder Ashley Gleason made a stunning diving catch of a liner in the third.

“We’ve been talking all year that pitching and defense was going to win this,” said Griffin. “About halfway through the season we refocused our energies on our defense.”

And Williamson, after allowing five hits in the first three innings, settled down.

Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:

mlowe@pressherald.com

Twitter: MikeLowePPH

 


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