SACO — The relentless Thornton Academy batting order was stalled early but roared to life for nine late runs Saturday as the No. 2 Golden Trojans (15-3) downed No. 3 Cheverus 10-3 in a Western Class A softball semifinal.
Cheverus (14-4) led 3-1 entering the bottom of the fifth.
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“Confident. Not cocky,” Thornton shortstop Brooke Cross said of her team. “We like to believe that we can produce, and usually when we do believe it works.”
It was Cross’ line single up the middle in the fifth that put Thornton ahead for the first time. She closed out her 3-for-4, three-RBI day with a two-run single in a five-run sixth.
“Hitting is definitely contagious, and once one person makes a play we all feel the energy and the hype and we all get it, and we’re all hitting pretty nicely,” Cross said.
Thornton will meet No. 1 Scarborough (18-0) for the regional title at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph’s College. Thornton has won 13 straight games since losing 5-1 to Scarborough.
“They kind of showed today there was no quit in them,” Thornton Coach John Provost said of his players. “I thought the first five innings was some of the worst softball we’ve played in quite awhile, but there was no quit. In those fifth and sixth innings the bats came around and we played some shutdown defense.”
Cheverus manufactured single runs in the first three innings to take a 3-1 lead off Thornton junior Bailey Tremblay. Tremblay gave up seven hits while striking out six. She walked leadoff batters in the first and third, and both scored on a wild pitch and an error, respectively.
Over the final four innings Tremblay allowed two soft singles and no walks.
“Along with everybody else I get nervous and get hyped up and tend to rush stuff,” Tremblay said. “I just had to calm down and do what I know how to do and the rest will take care of itself.”
Tremblay showed her skill when she stranded Cheverus’ Sophia Giancotti at third with one out in the fifth, getting cleanup hitter Bethany Bell to pop up and striking out Katie Randall. That set the stage for Thornton’s rally.
No. 9 batter Libby Pomerleau (3 for 3) started the trouble when she beat out what appeared to be a routine grounder against a Cheverus infield playing deep.
The Trojans scored on a passed ball and an infield single by senior Erin Brayden, who hustled down the line to beat the throw from second.
Cross and Maizie Lee followed with RBI hits.
In the sixth, Thornton added five runs on three hits and more Cheverus misplays. The Trojans struck out only three times against Bell, who averaged 11 strikeouts per game in the regular season.
“I thought we played four innings of really solid softball,” Cheverus Coach Maureen Curran said. “The fifth inning our defense let us down. They played better defense than we did today and they deserved to win. Their batting order is excellent. There are no liabilities.”
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