BIDDEFORD — Hannah Gosselin was nervous. Who wouldn’t be?

The Biddeford High junior second baseman was at bat with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, two runners on and the Tigers trailing by a run.

But after falling behind two strikes, Gosselin settled in and chopped a single into right-center field to drive in two runs as second-ranked Biddeford escaped with a 4-3 win over No. 10 Massabesic in a Class A South softball quarterfinal Thursday afternoon at Doran Field.

“I was pretty nervous,” said Gosselin. “But I knew that every play we made counted and my team had my back.”

“And you had ours,” said winning pitcher Charlotte Donovan.

Biddeford (15-3) will play No. 6 Windham (16-2) in a regional semifinal Saturday at Doran Field. The Tigers beat Windham 16-4 during the regular season on April 23.

Massabesic finished 8-10.

“No regrets,” said Mustangs Coach Kevin Tutt. “That kid, Gosselin, at second base, she had a day. Had a day.”

That she did. In addition to driving in the winning run, Gosselin made several stellar plays in the field. One – a diving backhanded stop up the middle after which she flipped the ball to shortstop Anna Lavigne for a forceout at second in the fourth – saved at least one run. She finished with eight assists.

“We were pitching the ball on the outside corner, that’s why there was so much action for Hannah at second base,” said Biddeford Coach Mike Fecteau. “And she was phenomenal. I think she’s the top second baseman in this league. She’s not afraid to get dirty and she plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played.

“And these girls don’t quit. I don’t know what it is.”

Massabesic tied the game with an unearned run in the sixth, then took the lead in the top of the eighth when freshman Ava Gerrish hit a two-run homer over the left field fence.

Biddeford, which had been held to just one hit through the first seven innings by Massabesic junior Emily Antrim, had the top of its order coming up in the bottom of the eighth. Donovan led off with an infield single. After Antrim got the next two outs, Baylor Wilkinson walked (and was replaced by pinch runner Michaela Ouellette).

Lavigne drove a shot into the right-center field gap. Massabesic’s right fielder got a glove on it after a long run but couldn’t hold on and Donovan scored to make it 3-2, with runners at second and third.

Up came Gosselin. And even Donovan was nervous at that point. “I was in the dugout holding everyone’s hands and praying,” she said. “And I was saying, ‘Hit it up the middle.’ She always hits it up the middle.”

Gosselin did just that, the bouncing ball rolling into center field to drive in Biddeford’s two biggest runs of the season.

“A lot of people were saying at the beginning of the year that this was our learning curve, this was our learning year,” Donovan said of a team that has only two seniors. “I didn’t agree with that. I’m here to win. The team is here to win.”

« Previous

Next »

Related Stories