BRISTOL, Conn. – Abby Murrell did everything she could for the Scarborough Little League softball team Saturday.

She pitched a three-hitter and struck out 15. She belted the two hardest-hit balls in the game for singles and reached base in all three plate appearances.

What she was unable to do was bring Scarborough a victory.

Megan Smith scored from second on a bunt single with two outs in the top of the sixth inning to give Worcester, Mass., a 4-3 victory at the Eastern Regionals.

Scarborough, 0-2 in pool play after winning 10 straight to capture the Maine title, will face Swanton, Vt., at 2 p.m. today.

Worcester stole seven bases in seven tries.

“We’re aware of it. That’s the way we play but it caught us by surprise today,” Scarborough Manager Dave Littlefield said.

The winning rally began with one out when Smith walked, then stole her third base of the game. Murrell struck out Kelly Chianese looking, but Maye Walsh-Costello dropped a bunt in front of the plate. As the throw to first came in late, Smith raced around third without hesitation.

“We’ve worked on the play but it just didn’t come off the way we practiced it,” Littlefield said. “You’ve got to pay attention when there’s a girl on second. You’ve got to be aware she may try to go home and we hung onto the ball too long at first trying to get the runner out.”

Worcester took a 1-0 lead in the first when Nikki Sereti was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on two passed balls.

“Abby’s a great athlete. She’s the No. 1 pitcher in anybody’s Little League,” Littlefield said. “She throws hard, keeps the batters off balance and she’s a great hitter. We can’t count on her to win the game. It takes a team effort.”

Scarborough fell behind 2-0 in the third when a walk to pitcher Payton Sylvester, a stolen base and a passed ball set up an RBI infield hit by Sereti (2 for 2, 2 RBI, 3 steals).

Scarborough tied it with a two-out rally in the fourth. Chloe Griffin was hit by a pitch. Murrell singled to center and wound up at second when the throw from the outfield went to third. Laura Powell lifted a fly ball to short left field that was dropped, and both runners scored.

A dropped fly prolonged the Worcester fifth, enabling Sereti to lace an RBI double to right for a 3-2 lead, but Scarborough answered immediately.

Ricker doubled, took third on a bunt single by Felicia O’Reilly and scored on an error.

Smith’s walk in the sixth — one of just three issued by Murrell — started Worcester’s winning rally.

“(Third-base coach Kathy Trainor) was waving her home the whole way,” Manager Craig Sylvester said. “We’re lucky to get that run across because this is a fantastic Maine team.”

Murrell was the leadoff batter in the home half but received no opportunity to change the game.

“We pitched around her. I said if she was going to hit the ball, it was going to be a foot off the plate. She’s just too good,” Sylvester said.

Payton Sylvester earned the win, yielding four hits and a walk, striking out nine.

 

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