KENNEBUNK — Corrine Burns came to the plate in the top of the third inning, looking to rebound after a rocky start to the week.

Consider her efforts fulfilled.

Burns hit two home runs Tuesday, including a two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning, to help Kennebunk to a 9-1 victory against Sanford in an SMAA softball game.

“I had kind of a rough game at the plate (Monday in a 6-0 win at Deering) and I thought, ‘you know what? It just doesn’t matter what happens. Go with it. See what I can do.’ I was more relaxed today and it was raining, and I think maybe a lot wasn’t expected out of me.”

Burns was the second of eight batters Kennebunk (4-2) sent to the plate in the third inning, when the Rams scored four runs on four hits.

The rally came after Kennebunk had one run on two hits through the first two innings, and helped reinforce the efforts of starting pitcher Hannah King (10 strikeouts), who held the Redskins hitless until the seventh.

“They hit the ball, and it sounds so simple,” Sanford Coach Kristi Cochin said. “They went up there, and they were eager and aggressive.”

The Rams didn’t necessarily struggle to create offense, but a day after the win at Deering, didn’t have a sense of urgency at the plate in the first two innings.

“We realized we needed to come through,” Burns said. “Coach (Jim Lang) kind of got on us about it and we realized we weren’t hitting well.”

Carrying the momentum from the start of the week will be key for the Rams, who face Westbrook at 4 p.m. today, then play at Windham at 4 p.m. Friday.

“We have four games this week so we wanted to try to win them all,” Burns said. “We won (Monday) and we wanted to keep going.”

The Redskins (4-3) are in the same situation as the Rams, with four games in six days this week.

Yet a day after a 10-7, 11-hit victory against Westbrook, the Redskins had trouble creating offense against Kennebunk on a wet and windy afternoon.

“Little mistakes in the infield that were uncommon, uncharacteristic,” Cochin said.

“Just not a very high-intense game, and that really hurt them.”

The Rams took a 1-0 lead in the first when Meg Cadigan scored as King grounded into a fielder’s choice.

They opened the third on Janelle Bouchard’s single, the first of four hits in the inning.

The Rams added a run in the fourth on Burns’ second home run and, after Sanford broke up King’s bid for a no-hitter with a pair of hits in the top of the fifth, scored three runs on one hit — Bouchard’s three-run homer — and two errors in the bottom of the inning.

Christine Tovey scored Sanford’s only run on a home run in the top of the seventh.

Staff Writer Rachel Lenzi can be contacted at 791-6415 or at: rlenzi@pressherald.com

 

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