TOPSHAM

The Mt. Ararat High School softball team opened up its Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference regular season on Wednesday at home against Messalonskee, the defending State Class A champions.

A tough opening day opponent for sure, made a bit more difficult when the hosts committed five key errors early as Messalonskee came away with an 11-0 win.

For Mt. Ararat co-coach Al Graffam, it wasn’t the errors, or even the loss. It was about how his young team hung in against the champs after falling behind 9-0 through three innings.

“The second half of the game, they played their game and we started hitting,” said Graffam, whose squad heads to Cony on Friday at 1 p.m. “By the end of the game, we felt that we deserved to be on the field with these guys, unlike in the beginning. They are the champions and it is a measuring stick.”

Messalonskee pitcher Kirsten Pelletier was solid, striking out 11 and walking three. She struck out the side in the second and third innings, and didn’t allow a hit until the sixth when Mt. Ararat loaded the bases.

Errors hurt

After a scoreless first frame, Messalonskee took advantage of a Mt. Ararat miscue in the second. After pitcher Alana Weaver (complete game, 13 hits, 11 runs, four earned, one walk) retired the first two hitters, an error kept the inning going. Katie Guarino followed with a single and Kelsey Dillon singled in the game’s first run.

A walk to No. 9 hitter Sierra McClellan loaded the bases, and Madyson Charest ripped a two-run single to left field for a 3-0 Messalonskee lead. All three runs were unearned.

“You can’t give a team like that four or five outs in an inning,” said Graffam.

The key frame for Messalonskee came an inning later. Pelletier singled and Sarah Labbe doubled off the fence in left-center field to begin the inning. Hannah Duperry followed with a two-run single to make for a 5-0 contest.

With two outs, another Mt. Ararat error kept the inning going, and Charest took advantage with a two-run double, scoring pinch runner Kristen Veilleux and Guarino. On the next pitch, Mckenzie Charest lined a double inside the left-field line to complete the six-run inning, giving Messalonskee a 9-0 advantage.

“We’re young, but with some experience. We have one senior, and some of those sophomores and juniors made some uncharacteristic errors early today,” said Graffam.

Pelletier was on cruise control. She retired 12 straight hitters before issuing a walk to Zoe Stilphen in the fifth.

Mt. Ararat’s biggest threat came in the sixth. Kayleigh Temple walked with one out and Weaver hustled to first base for an infield single, Mt. Ararat’s first hit. Katelyn

Cox, who walked in the opening frame, blooped a single to left field to load the bases. But, Pelletier escaped with a strikeout and retired Sara Lamb on a ground ball to third to end the threat.

“Once they played within themselves they did better,” said Graffam, who praised the outfield play of Mt. Ararat’s Belle Benner, Natalie Ormsby, Laura Secone and Kelsey Scannevin, who made a diving catch to end the Messalonskee seventh. “The outfield play, they had some hard-hit balls and we were able to get the ball in quickly.”

Messalonskee picked up a run in the fifth when McClellan doubled and scored on a ground ball by Mckenzie Charest, and the visitors completed the scoring in the sixth when Labbe doubled and came home on an RBI grounder by Taylor Easler.

Guarino led Messalonskee, going 4-for-4 at the plate and scoring a pair of runs. Madyson Charest had two hits and drove in a game-high four runs, while Labbe picked up a pair of doubles and scored twice.

Messalonskee 11, Mt. Ararat 0

At Topsham

	Mess.	—	036	011	0	—	11-	13-0
Mt.		Ararat	— 000	000	0	—	0-	2-5

Kirsten Pelletier and Taylor Easler; Alana Weaver and Kayleigh Temple. Doubles — (Mess) Sarah Labbe, Madyson Charest, Mckenzie Charest, Sierra McClellan. Repeat hitters — (Mess) Katie Guarino (4), Madyson Charest, Sarah Labbe. Records — Messalonskee 1-0, Mt. Ararat 0-1. Up next for Mt. Ararat — Friday at Cony, 1 p.m.