FREEPORT

As the spring sports regular season begins to wind down, there are games circled on many schedules that can be the difference between making the playoffs or watching from the sidelines.

On Wednesday, the Freeport High School softball team suffered a tough and key 4-2 Western Maine Conference loss to Wells, the team currently holding down the final playoff spot in Western Maine Class B.

The Falcons had little time to fret about that loss, returning to the field for a Senior Day contest with winless Lake Region on Thursday, a game Freeport needed badly before heading to the road for its final four games, including Monday’s key matchup with Falmouth.

Freeport and the Lakers went run for run, but the Falcons dug down to scratch four runs across in the sixth inning for a 9-5 victory. Freeport improved to 5-7, while Lake Region dropped to 0-11.

“It was huge to get this win, and we didn’t give up, just kept playing and playing and playing, huge not to lay down, something we have done before,” said Freeport coach Mike Perry.

Leigh Wyman

Freeport pitcher Leigh Wyman, who recently surpassed 400 career strikeouts, was solid again. Of the five runs she allowed, none were earned. She struck out seven Lakers to add to those totals, walked three and permitted six hits.

“It was exciting to hear about the 400 strikeouts, and it is something I am proud of and have worked really hard for,” said Wyman. “The change-ups helped me a lot today, and I had a good breaking pitch. I kept my head up and just kept throwing hard. If we can figure out a way to win a couple more games, we can get into the playoffs.”

Wyman led the way at the plate on Thursday, going 4-for- 4 with three RBIs and one run scored.

Tied 5-5 in the sixth inning, Necole Harrison singled sharply to left and stole second. Hannah Chase followed with a single to put runners at the corners. Lauren Cormier gave the Falcons lead with a ground out, and Wyman followed with run-scoring single for a 7-5 advantage. An error kept the inning alive, and KC Breed added an RBI single to complete the big inning.

Things started well for Freeport, which jumped out to a 2-0 first-inning lead. Harrison singled and Cormier walked. Wyman singled in a run, and a Lake Region error plated Cormier.

Lake Region struck right back in the second. An error, one of four for the Falcons on the day, started the inning, and a wild pitch on a strikeout pitch allowed a Lakers runner to reach base. The key blow was a two-run single by Casey Heath for a 3-2 Lake Region lead.

Freeport reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the second, with Cormier’s long double scoring Chase, and Wyman picking her second RBI single in as many at-bats for a 4-3 Falcons advantage.

A key error in the third allowed the Lakers to tie the game at 4-4, with Nicole Marucci driving in Kayleigh Lepage.

“Errors and balls up the middle are plays that we need to come up with and get outs if we want to make the playoffs and finish strong,” said Perry. “If we made some plays behind Leigh, this is a different game. We have to have confidence that we can do it. When Leigh is on her game and pounding the strike zone, we need to make those plays behind her. If we do that, we will be all right.”

Lakers pitcher Ashley Clark (11 hits, nine runs, five earned, three strikeouts, two walks) kept the Falcons off the board in the third and the fourth frames, while Wyman pitched out of trouble in the fourth and retired Lake Region 1-2-3 in the fifth.

Wyman’s infield single opened the Freeport fifth. After a steal of second and an Amanda Miles single, Breed grounded to the Lake Region shortstop, whose throw home was late as Wyman scored the go-ahead run.

Again Lake Region tied the game, courtesy of a second strikeout/wild pitch combination and a key two-out error.

But, Freeport’s final rally was enough, with Wyman allowing a single to Clark in the seventh before retiring the final Laker hitter.

Kalor Plummer was 2-for-4 for Lake Region, while Harrison was 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs for Freeport.

Freeport 9,
Lake Region 5

At Freeport High School
Lake Region — 031 001 0 — 5- 6-3
Freeport — 220 014 x — 9-11-4
Ashley Clark and Sam Marucci; Leigh
Wyman and Jess Perry.
Doubles — (LR) Jackie Laurent; (F) Lauren Cormier.
Triple — (F) Jill Baker.
Repeat hitters — (LR) Kalor Plummer;
(F) Necole Harrison, Leigh Wyman 4.
Records — Freeport 5-7, Lake Region 0-
11.
Up next for Freeport — Monday at Falmouth, 4 p.m.