SOUTH PORTLAND — Allison Pike stood up to a thunderous blow to her mask-protected face.
Then the Bonny Eagle pitcher and her teammates knocked out one of Western A’s heavyweights, rallying to beat No. 4 South Portland 11-7 in Thursday’s regional quarterfinal at Wainwright Field.
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In the bottom of the fourth inning, holding a 6-4 lead, Pike was struck square by a vicious liner by Laurine German. The ball caromed off Pike’s protective mask and landed halfway down the left-field line. Pike immediately doubled over in pain. When time was called she went to the Scots’ dugout and was replaced by Ashlyn Wintle. A trip to the hospital seemed likely.
To the surprise of just about everyone after South Portland scored three runs to take a 7-6 lead, Pike grabbed a bat and led off the top of the fifth. Her infield single set in motion a five-error, two-hit, five-run rally.
“I thought it broke my mask and thank God it didn’t and I was glad I was wearing it because it would have been a lot worse and I’m not concussed. I just have an egg on my head,” Pike said after the game, pointing to the horizontal, protruding contusion above her right eye. “I felt the pain at first and as the trainer was doing tests on me, he said if I was fine and I felt fine I could go back in, so I did.”
Pike, a senior right-hander, then returned to the pitching circle and finished the game with three shutout innings highlighted when she jumped on a German bunt to start a 1-3-2 double play to get out of a first-and-third jam in the fifth.
No. 5 Bonny Eagle (12-5) will be at No. 1 Scarborough (17-0) for a Saturday regional semifinal at 1 p.m.
Bonny Eagle Coach Sue Rondeau said Pike’s return “inspired me and a couple of the girls even said, ‘It inspired me so much I was crying.’ For her to take that hit and mentally to have enough confidence to get back on the mound. It wasn’t really the at-bats, it was just to be able to get back on that mound.”
“Getting hit in the face and then going back up showed that I want it, and I know my teammates wanted it to, but it was a good way to keep the whole demeanor up,” Pike said. “If you have an injured person you kind of get down on yourself as a team. I knew they needed me even more attitude-wise than skill-wise.”
Before Pike could return she underwent a series of tests administered by trainer Zack Chase.
“He did her balance,” Rondeau said. “He had her stand on one foot. He pushed her. I trusted his choice. He’s not one to ever let a kid come right back in. I wouldn’t have wanted to make that call.”
Breanna Lifland, Caitlyn Dyer and Rebecca Howell each had two hits and an RBI for the Scots.
South Portland generated 16 hits, 13 off Pike. Sophomore Taylor Bacheldor was 4 for 4, and Sarah Micucci and Kiley Kennedy each went 3 for 4. Miranda Gleason had a pair of RBI singles.
What the No. 4 Red Riots (12-5) could not do was play consistent defense behind pitcher Olivia Indorf (11 hits, four earned runs). In the five-run fifth, the only batted ball to reach the outfield was Deziree Larrivee’s two-run single that glanced off shortstop German’s glove.
“That’s been our Achilles heel all year,” South Portland Coach Ralph Aceto said of his team’s defense.
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