Friday afternoon’s Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference softball game between Camden Hills and Mt. Ararat had the feel of a game in which the last team to bat was going to pull out the victory.

Thankfully for Mt. Ararat, it had the final chance as the home team.

Kayleigh Temple’s fourth hit of the game in the eighth inning scored Ema Hawkes with the winning run as Mt. Ararat edged Camden Hills, 13-12.

With the Eagles (2-6) trailing 12-11 after Camden Hills (1-9) scored a run in the top of the eighth, leadoff hitter Zoe Stilphen drove a double to the fence in center field – also her fourth hit. Hawkes dropped a bunt and beat the throw to first, and Stilphen scored when the throw bounced into foul territory. Hawkes took second and easily scored when Temple drove a Grace O’Connell offering just inside the third-base bag for a double.

“I have been trying to stay on my hitting game this year, and it feels good to help the team,” said Temple, who discussed the importance of Stilphen at the top of the lineup. “I can always count on Zoe to be on base, which is big for us.”

“I see us coming around and hitting the ball,” said Stilphen. “When we gather together every inning, we are confident with everyone in our lineup.”

For Camden Hills Coach Rowena Motylewski, watching her team recover from a 9-4 deficit was a positive step.

“We have been in huge run deficits before, and today we just kept at it and kept the energy up,” Motylewski said. “This was a step forward for us and I am proud of them.”

O’Connell and Mt. Ararat starting pitcher Morgan Johnson began strong, with the Windjammers leading 2-0 in the third inning. Laticia Billings launched a solo home run in the first, and Lauren Miller scored on a second-inning wild pitch.

But Mt. Ararat scored four runs in the third. With two outs, Stilphen blooped a single to right field and Hawkes reached on an error, with Stilphen hustling all the way to third. She scored on a wild pitch.

“Offensively, Zoe has been very important,” Mt. Ararat Coach Al Graffam said. “She is a great base runner, is a senior, and has played a lot of ball. She always knows when to take that extra base.”

Temple roped a run-scoring single to left to tie the game, and Emily Wormwood ripped an RBI triple to the right-center field fence. Wormwood scored one pitch later on a Jaden Lohr single.

The Windjammers quickly tied the game in the fourth on a two-run single by Gillian LaFleche. But the Eagles seemed to gain control in the bottom of the inning, scoring five runs for a 9-4 lead, with Shelby Moore, Kelsey Scannevin, Stilphen, Hawkes and Temple (two-run single) touching the plate.

“We have been getting better, putting it together, and we are making improvement all the time and shooting to get into the (playoffs),” Graffam said.

Camden Hills fought back in the fifth. Logan Carney reached on an error, Nicole Brown singled, and O’Connell walked to load the bases with nobody out.

Billings grounded back to Johnson, with Carney scoring, and a sacrifice fly by Alyson Glasier scored Brown. Miller ripped a double, and a single by LaFleche made it 9-8.

O’Connell retired the Eagles in order in the fifth, then helped her team grab an 11-9 lead in the sixth. Carney opened the inning with an infield single. Brown walked and O’Connell singled to load the bases. Glasier’s second sacrifice fly tied the game, and Brown and O’Connell worked a double steal, with Brown scoring for a 10-9 lead. Miller slammed her second double to plate O’Connell.

Stilphen doubled and scored on a Temple single in the sixth, and a sacrifice fly by Scannevin brought home Camille Rowe with the tying run in the seventh.

In the top of the eighth, Miller again came through, sending a double to the gap in right-center to score Billings.

“Everybody went into this really hungry and both teams wanted to win,” Miller said after her 5-for-5 performance, with three doubles, three runs scored and three RBI. “Things didn’t end in our favor today, but it was a big step and showed us that when we are down, we can come back against a good team.”

Rowe picked up the win in relief. O’Connell went the distance for Camden Hills.

LaFleche and O’Connell each were 2 for 4 for Camden Hills as all nine starters picked up at least one hit.

Stilphen and Temple were both 4 for 5.

Related Stories