GORHAM — Raegan Kelly is going to frustrate SMAA hitters for a very long time. Three more years, in fact.

Noble’s freshman pitcher was dominant Friday in a 6-1 victory against Gorham at Robie Field, striking out 14 with no walks.

The Knights (8-2) gave Kelly an early lead, scoring twice in the first inning. Two days after stroking the winning hit in a 4-3 win over Marshwood, Marisa Cipolla led off with a triple to center.

“Right from the first batter of the game, we were aggressive,” said Noble Coach Rick Melanson. “We knew we were going to see a good pitcher, but our leadoff hitter gets a triple and we end up scoring two runs in the first inning.”

Though she allowed an infield single in the first, Kelly was nearly impossible to hit early. She retired 10 straight into the fifth inning.

Kelly, who shut down the Rams with a mix of riseballs and changes of speed, praised the work of catcher Mackenzie Alva, for ensuring that her borderline pitches were called strikes.

Advertisement

“I think she’s the best catcher in the league,” Kelly said. “She frames so perfectly, I could throw it anywhere and she’ll make it a strike.”

Gorham pitcher Grace McGouldrick, who recorded eight strikeouts, did well to keep her team close for most of the game. But Noble managed to add runs in the fourth, fifth, and seventh innings.

Jordan Boucher manufactured a run in the fourth by working an eight-pitch leadoff walk, advancing to second on a wild pitch and eventually scoring on Abbie Sprague’s single to give Noble a 3-0 lead.

Kelly scored in the fifth and seventh.

She led off the fifth with a single to center, reaching third on a two-base error. Alva then drove her in with an opposite-field triple.

After starting the seventh with a walk, Kelly circled the bases on a series of wild pitches.

Advertisement

In the bottom of the seventh, Gorham (7-3) avoided a shutout thanks to singles by McGouldrick, Noelle Dibiase, and Kiana Tracey.

Melanson praised his team and also credited the Rams.

He also acknowledged Kelly, who gives his team a chance to win each game.

“Gorham played well. Gorham’s a real good team,” Melanson said.

“We knew coming in that it was going to be a tight game, and I think that first inning helped us a lot. With (Kelly) pitching, we usually don’t need a lot of runs.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.