Westbrookers Emily Talbot, Camryn LaPierre and Amberly Delponte knocked one, two, three consecutive hits against visiting Bonny Eagle in the bottom of the first on Friday afternoon to give the Blazes an immediate advantage over the Scots.

And while Bonny Eagle did eventually get on the board, Westbrook kept the reins firmly in hand through the remainder of the game, ultimately emerging victorious 12-3.

“I was very happy with the game, as we showed up focused and ready to play after a big win a few days earlier against Gorham,” said Blazes head coach Dee Allen.

The win is Westbrook’s fourth on the year. The Blazes began their schedule on a slide, going 0-5 against Sanford, Massabesic, Deering, McAuley and Marshwood before finally breaking the streak with a huge, 18-6 win over Cheverus on May 6. They then split a double-header with Windham, dropped a pair to Biddeford and South Portland, and most recently have won two straight, over Gorham and now the Scots. That’s a record of 4-8 and a No. 10 ranking in A West.

Bonny Eagle, meanwhile, slip to 3-10. The Scots also started 2015 with a stretch of losses, falling to Gorham, Scarborough, Thornton Academy, Noble, Sanford and Massabesic before edging into the win column with a 1-0 triumph over Deering. They have since picked up additional Ws over Cheverus and Marshwood, and now occupy A West’s 15th slot. The top 12 teams earn playoff berths, come the end of the regular season.

The Scots looked sharp to start on Friday: No. 2 batter Journey Barnes, just a freshman, drove a single over the leaping reach of Westbrook second baseman Kayla Horner. Barnes got caught out on Kaitlyn Dyer’s shot to centerfield, though; the ball dropped, but the 8-4 fielder’s choice was an easy play for the Blazes.

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It was symptomatic of Bonny Eagle’s troubles to come. After Talbot reached in the bottom of the first, LaPierre didn’t just get on base behind her, she blasted an inside-the-park homerun for two quick RBIs. Delponte followed up with a single drive to right, and two hitters later, Kerigan Demers tripled into deep center to bring Delponte home and stoke the Blazes into a fury.

Westbrook turned a trio of Scots batters into a trio of Scots outs to open the second, but then Bonny Eagle returned the favor to close it. In the bottom of the third, however, the Blazes grabbed three more runs, doubling their lead. Talbot drove a single to center, LaPierre grounded – also a single, and also to center – and Maddison Lebeau reached first on another single grounder, this one to left, to load the bases.

Talbot crossed the plate on a wild pitch during Demers’s turn in the box, and then grounded into center, scoring both LaPierre and Lebeau for 6-0.

“We’d come out flat [earlier in the season],” said Allen, “so being able to come out hitting [against Bonny Eagle] and make sure we got a big lead early was important.”

As it would eventually turn out, the Blazes had secured the win at this point; they still, however, had better than half a game to play, and in the top of the fourth, Bonny Eagle finally found a chink in their armor. Westbrook starter Catherine Galipeau walked Scot Nell Spencer, who then stole second and soon enough scored on a Bailey Gryskwicz grounder and a Blazes’ error at third.

Westbrook got that run back – and two besides – in the bottom of the fourth, amassing a 9-1 lead. Bonny Eagle added two more in the top of the fifth, making the middle innings the team’s strongest. Dyer and Spencer both reached base – the former on a single and the latter on a Galipeau walk – and Gryskwicz doubled them home again for 9-3.

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But the Blazes tallied still more in the sixth; LaPierre, LeBeau and Demers all scored, LeBeau with one RBI and Julia Symbol with two. 12-3 the final.

Galipeau gets the win, having pitched all seven innings for the Blazes. She allowed two earned runs, and threw four strikeouts and two walks. Talbot went 2-3 at the plate with a walk, three runs scored and three stolen bases. LaPierre went 4-4 – including that smash-hit homer, scored four runs, and earned two RBI. Demers went 4-4 with a triple, a run and four RBI. Lebeau 2-4, two runs, one RBI; Symbol 2-4, two RBI.

Barnes and Dyer both had two hits for Bonny Eagle. Spencer went 2-2 with two walks and a run, and Gryskwicz had those two RBI.

“The win will help us in playoff positioning,” said Allen, “as we try to hang out for one of the few remaining playoff spots.”

Westbrook next faces off in Scarborough against the No. 1 Red Storm, 13-0 in 2015. That game is scheduled for Thursday, the 28th, at 7 p.m. Bonny Eagle hosted Biddeford on Wednesday, the 27th, after Current Publishing’s print deadlines, and travels to Portland on Thursday for a 4 p.m. fight with the Bulldogs.

Bonny Eagle’s Nell Spencer watches an incoming pitch at Westbrook on Friday.Scots infielder Bailey Gryskwicz waits on the action at home.The Blazes’ Kayla Horner takes a cut at a Bonny Eagle pitch on Friday.Catherine Galipeau earned the W in the circle for the Blazes against visiting Bonny Eagle on Friday.Bonny Eagle’s Journey Barnes unwinds into a pitch at Westbrook on Friday.Westbrooker Kerigan Demers inches toward home as a teammate waits on a pitch.


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