SACO – There may come a time when the Scarborough High softball team loses a game like this. Just not yet.
Without one of the best players in the state, held to one hit for five innings, the Red Storm rallied for six runs in the final two innings Thursday to beat Thornton Academy 6-3 in a game that matched the two top teams in Western Class A.
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Scarborough took advantage of two Trojan errors in the final two innings, and got a clutch two-out hit from Grace Farnkoff, who drove in two runs with a blooper to right.
“We’ve played some great games over the years (but) this is probably the gutsiest I’ve ever seen them play,” said Red Storm Coach Tom Griffin. “We were not perfect; we were far from perfect. But they found a way. I’m just so proud of them, to stay focused and stay calm. Things worked out.”
Scarborough (6-0) was without pitcher/shortstop Mo Hannan, diagnosed with mononucleosis.
Thornton (5-1), behind pitcher Julia Geaumont, was in control through five innings. Geaumont had allowed one hit. Freshman Bailey Tremblay drove in two runs with a single and Sam Schildroth made it 3-0 with an RBI single in the fifth.
The Trojans could have had more in the fifth, but Scarborough third baseman Megan Murrell snared a hard line drive with one out and the bases loaded, turning it into an inning-ending double play.
“Sometimes a little luck is better than a hit,” said Griffin. “That was right at her.”
The catch also pumped up the team.
“We tried to build on the adrenalin from the defensive play,” said Farnkoff. “We tried to carry that energy over to our at-bats. And it worked.”
Mary Redmond led off the sixth with an infield single. Alyssa Williamson then reached on an error and Marissa O’Toole dropped a single to right, loading the bases. Winning pitcher Erin Giles was then hit by a pitch — an inside fastball grazing her jersey — and it was 3-1. Murrell added a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2.
A walk reloaded the bases and following an out, Farnkoff dropped a single to right, O’Toole and Giles scoring.
“I was just trying to stay calm,” Farnkoff said. “I knew I had to get the ball in play, do my job, not do anything too big.”
In the bottom of the sixth, Giles allowed two runners to reach but made a diving catch of a pop to end the inning.
Scarborough got two unearned runs in the seventh to make it 6-3. While Thornton played error-free in the first five innings, its miscues in the final two led to four unearned runs.
“A team like that is going to capitalize on anything you give them,” said Geaumont. “You give them an inch and they’re going to take a mile. That’s what they did.”
Giles, who settled down nicely, set Thornton down in order in the seventh.
“You’ve got to play seven (innings),” said Trojans Coach John Provost. “You can’t give a team like that any opportunities. Because in the blink of an eye it went from 3-0 to 4-3.”
And the Red Storm had a very impressive victory.
“I think we showed a lot of character,” said Griffin. “It could have been a big emotional letdown (losing Hannan) but the kids really stepped up.”
Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:
mlowe@pressherald.com
Twitter: MikeLowePPH
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