FALMOUTH — Mari Cooper threw her second consecutive shutout and drove in two runs with a first-inning double to lead Yarmouth to a 4-0 win against Falmouth in a Western Maine Conference softball game Friday.
Cooper, who threw a four-hitter in a 3-0 win over Freeport Wednesday, held the Yachtsmen to four hits to lead the Clippers to their fifth win in six games.
“I saw more speed from her today,” Yarmouth Coach Amy Ashley said.
“When her changeup is working, it makes her look even faster. She had them guessing.”
Cooper improved to 10-1.
“Moving the fastball around really worked for me today,” she said. “My screwball wasn’t working for me, so I kind of let that go. I threw a few (changeups) in there, but mostly the speed was there today for me.”
Yarmouth, 8-2 winners over Falmouth on May 20, scored three runs in the first to open what turned out to be a commanding lead.
“Every single practice, every single game somebody says we have to jump on them early and get right out of the gate,” Cooper said. “Otherwise, we tend to think (the game’s) over if they get up first. When we get ahead first that really benefits our energy and our attitude.”
The Clippers (12-3) loaded the bases with no outs on a walk to Andrea St. Pierre, Kallie Hutchinson’s single to left and Cat Thompson’s bunt single. The Yachtsmen (8-7) seemed on their way out of the jam when they turned a double play on Eleanor O’Gorman’s liner to first, but Cooper dumped a bad-hop double into center to bring in two runs.
“We made a couple of mistakes that first inning, but credit them,” Falmouth Coach Roy Fox said. “We turned that double play, but their next batter got a big hit.”
A single by Cate Ralph drove in Cooper for a 3-0 lead.
Colleen Sullivan made it 4-0 when she led off the fourth with the first of her two singles and came around to score on two throwing errors after stealing second base.
Cooper, who struck out seven and walked one, didn’t allow a hit until Julia Treadwell singled with two outs in the fourth.
Treadwell and Allison Murphy each singled twice.
“By the end of the game, we started to put the bat on the ball a little more, but it was a little too late,” Fox said.
“We couldn’t get any leadoff batters on so we couldn’t play small ball and manufacture some runs, and that made it tough.”
Treadwell pitched out of three bases-loaded jams to keep the Yachtsmen in the game.
“I am very pleased with her effort,” Fox said. “She just battled the whole time.”
Treadwell allowed 11 hits while striking out 10, walking four and hitting a batter.
“(Treadwell) got stronger as the game went on,” Ashley said. “She had us guessing more.”
The win tightened Yarmouth’s grip on the fourth spot in the Western Class B standings.
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