STANDISH — Chloe Griffin had one thought when she came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning of the Class A South softball championship game Tuesday afternoon: “Let’s end this.”

So she did. Griffin, a senior pitcher, grounded a single into left field to score Bella Dickinson from second base as top-ranked Scarborough defeated No. 3 Thornton Academy 3-2 at Bailey Field at St. Joseph’s College.

“What an unbelievable game,” said Red Storm Coach Tom Griffin. “For both teams. How many great defensive plays were made, by both teams, to keep it going? It was amazing.”

Defending state champ Scarborough (19-0) will play Oxford Hills (16-3) for the Class A state title at 4 p.m. Saturday at St. Joe’s. It will be Scarborough’s seventh appearance in the state game since 2007. The Vikings are making their first appearance since 1999.

“Getting back to the states, it’s every girl’s dream,” said Dickinson, a sophomore shortstop. “I’m so glad to be part of this team.”

Thornton Academy finished 15-4, two of the losses to Scarborough. The teams had played a 3-1 thriller on May 17 and this was the rematch everyone wanted to see. And they didn’t disappoint.

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Thornton’s Louisa Colucci matched Chloe Griffin – Tom Griffin’s niece – pitch-for-pitch. The defenses were superb.

Thornton’ outfield – Olivia Paradis in left, Kylie Lavallee in center and Hannah Collins in right – made several spectacular catches. And Scarborough’s Laura Powell (center field) and Sam Carriero (left) threw out runners at second base.

Scarborough twice took the lead – Emily Jefferds’ RBI single in second, Hunter Greenleaf’s RBI single in the fifth – only to have the Trojans respond. Jenica Botting drove in a run with a double in the third and Kaitlin Verreault – who began her high school career at Scarborough – knocked in the tying run with a single in the sixth.

Thornton never threatened in extra innings. In the bottom of the ninth, Dickinson lined a single to center with one out. After a walk to Powell, Griffin took a strike and then grounded the ball into left field. Dickinson, off on the hit, beat the throw home easily and was swarmed by her teammates.

“It was a great finish for us,” said Tom Griffin. “Thornton Academy is a great team and they played a perfect game..”

Chloe Griffin said she didn’t feel any pressure.

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“I wanted it for this team, they’re a great group of girls,” she said. “I didn’t want to let it slip through my fingers. If someone was going to do it, I really wanted to be that person.”

And Tom Griffin wanted her at the plate.

“She’s the whole package,” he said. “She wants the ball in big moments, she wants to be at bat in big moments.”

Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or:

mlowe@pressherald.com

Twitter: MikeLowePPH


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