GRAY — Gray-New Gloucester Coach Amanda Harmon called it “one little hiccup.”

Greely was the beneficiary, using it to score the only run for a 1-0 victory in a Class B South softball semifinal Saturday.

And now the sixth-seeded Rangers (12-7) will take on fourth-seeded Morse (14-4) in the regional final at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph’s College.

Greely had runners on first and second with two outs in the third inning when Maddie Rawnsley lofted a high fly to shallow left-center. The ball landed, Sawyer Dusch scored from second, and that was all the offense Greely pitcher Kelsey Currier needed.

“It goes back to … at the beginning of the season I think I said it’s all about the hits and errors, and (whoever) makes them and comes back from them, and today it bit us,” Harmon said.

Currier allowed two hits and four baserunners, striking out five with no walks.

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“Just keeping them off balance, jamming them inside, and then bringing it outside, and just getting them off the end of the bat,” Currier said.

Greely fared a bit better against Gray-New Gloucester pitcher Alie Martell.

Martell, who gave up four hits, with four walks and four strikeouts, pitched a 1-2-3 second inning before Greely found some success in the third.

Dusch walked with one out and Currier followed with a single. Rawnsley stepped to the plate two batters later.

The Rangers had just one error, and it was almost as costly.

Alexa Thayer led off the bottom of the fifth for second-seeded Gray-New Gloucester (12-5) by reaching on an error. She stole second and moved to third on a sacrifice by Chelsea Davis.

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With two outs, the Patriots then tried to tie the game with a bunt by Amelia Cobb, but Currier’s throw to first was just in time for the third out.

“Trying to get that (bunt hit), she placed it just right, and one second, one step, it could have been a different game, a different outcome,” Harmon said.

In the sixth, Dusch made a ranging, leaping catch of Martell’s leadoff liner. Then Currier recovered after initially bobbling a grounder for the second out, and Audrey Boyle made a diving stop of another grounder for the third out.

“We didn’t play defense for five games, and we lost five in a row, and now we’re playing some defense and backing Kelsey up,” Greely Coach Rob Hale said.

“She (gets a lot of) ground balls. We weren’t fielding those in the middle of the season and now we are.”

Currier did most of the work herself to get the final three outs.

Madi Pelletier grounded out to Currier on one pitch, then Lydia Espling popped out to the pitcher on the next. Currier struck out Thayer to end the game.

“I mean, yes it was (a nail-biter), but with Kelsey on the mound, nail-biters are a little not as nail-biting,” Hale said. “She just performs well in jams.”


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