WELLS — Anya Chase and the Wells High softball team sent a message to the rest of Class B South Tuesday afternoon: we’re back.

Chase, the senior left-hander, pitched her best game of the season to lead the Warriors to a 10-3 victory over Fryeburg Academy. Hampered much of the season by a hip injury that caused her to shut down pitching for several weeks, Chase took a two-hit shutout into the seventh inning before the Raiders scored three unearned runs.

The victory lifted Wells to 11-5 and, combined with Gray-New Gloucester’s loss to Cape Elizabeth, into first place in B South. The Raiders, who beat Wells 6-4 on May 9, also finished 11-5 and are third in the region.

Samantha Bogue drove in four runs for the Warriors and Karissa Kenyon drove in three.

“Our goal was to be playing our best softball at the end of the season,” said Warriors Coach Kevin Fox. “We played a pretty good opponent today and the girls showed up and played a pretty complete game.”

And Chase?

“She’s back, for sure,” said Fox. “She had her stuff, her different pitches, she had location, she hit spots … good stuff.”

Chase was dominant a year ago but suffered a preseason hip injury that hampered her pitching.

“The hip is feeling good now,” said Chase, who struck out eight, walked two and hit a batter. “I’m still working on the stamina but it felt good today.”

Chase was backed by a pretty good offense against a pretty good pitcher, Fryeburg freshman Emilia DeSanctis. Bogue, in particular, came up with timely hits, a two-run single in the third that made it 3-0 and a two-run double in the sixth that made it 7-0.

“She’s a leader on this team and she puts a lot on her shoulders,” said Fox. “And every once in a while I have to tell her to just relax.”

And that’s what Bogue did in her pivotal at-bats.

“I was just looking to poke it,” said Bogue, who made several outstanding defensive plays at first. “I just wanted a base hit. It makes me feel excited to be up there in those situations.”

Abby Hanson gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second with a bloop hit to left field, scoring Kenyon. Then Wells sent nine batters to the plate in the third to score four times.

Wells loaded the bases on a Savannah Grover infield single, Chase walk and Olivia Clay line single to left. Bogue hit a ground single into center to score two. Another run scored on an error, the fourth on a fielder’s choice.

Then in the sixth, Bogue and Kenyon hit back-to-back two-run doubles and Emma Cousins had an RBI single to make it 10-0.

“They put pressure on us,” said Fryeburg Coach Fred Apt. “And we didn’t put any pressure on them. (Chase) did a good job against us. She really wanted it.”

Well, there’s a little history there. Fryeburg scored four runs in the seventh inning of the Class B South championship game last year to stun the No.1 Warriors 6-5.

“Playing against a team like that, beating a team like that, which is really good, gives us the confidence to go into the playoffs with our heads held high and feeling like we’re ready,” said Bogue.

Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or:

mlowe@pressherald.com

Twitter: MikeLowePPH

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