STANDISH — Cheverus High’s surprise softball season picked up another layer of success Monday.

Playing a strong Bonny Eagle squad in wet and raw conditions, the Stags scored twice in the first inning, then rode Brittany Bell’s splendid 12-strikeout, one-walk, two-hit pitching to a 4-0 victory.

Cheverus (10-1), which didn’t make the playoffs last season, is ranked second in Western Class A and has beaten two top-six opponents in six days. The Stags’ 7-0 start now seems more predictive than fluky.

“We’re doing really well. They’ve been complete team efforts and we’ve really battled through both (South Portland and Bonny Eagle) to win,” Bell said. “After that tough (2-1 loss) at Biddeford we fired up, and we beat South Portland and we beat Bonny Eagle today. Those are two legitimate teams. It proves that we’re also legitimate.”

The game started in a steady drizzle that gradually picked up to the point of a soaking shower by the sixth inning.

Cheverus made one error, a throwing miscue by Sophia Giancotti in the first inning. Bonny Eagle made four errors and failed to get an out on several other key situations. It added up to three unearned runs.

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“One of the things we talked about before the end of the game was that in order to win we needed to demonstrate mental toughness, and I think the girls did that,” Cheverus Coach Maureen Curran said. “Under some really sloppy playing conditions, they buckled down and got the job done offensively and defensively.”

Cheverus grabbed the lead with two-out RBI singles from Katie Randall and Margaret Rigney in the first, sandwiched around an infield error.

Bell struck out the side in the first inning and had seven strikeouts through three hitless innings. Cheverus added single runs in the second and third on RBI singles by Bell and Josie Bradshaw.

“I think the tone was set in the first inning,” Bonny Eagle Coach Sue Rondeau said. “We’ve been down to a few teams and done a great job at the plate being patient. (Today) too many hitters were going up with big swings trying to make up for those two runs and it just put us in a bad spot, for sure.”

Bonny Eagle (7-3) could only manage a one-out double to the fence by Kelsey Gaddy in the fourth and a leadoff single by Kaitlyn Dyer in the fifth. Both times the runner was stranded at second base by a combination of pop-ups and strikeouts.

Bonny Eagle pitcher Allie Pike allowed nine singles, four in the infield. Casey Simpson and Olivia Mull each had two hits and scored for Cheverus.

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Next up for the Stags on Wednesday is undefeated Scarborough, the defending Class A champion, and then a Friday game against Thornton Academy.

Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or at:

scraig@pressherald.com

Twitter: SteveCCraig


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