BIDDEFORD — Pitching, defense and power hitting. It’s a winning formula.
No. 2 Biddeford showed its strength in all phases Friday in a crisply played, 6-0 win against No. 10 South Portland in a Class A South softball quarterfinal at Doran Field.
The defending regional champion Tigers (15-2) will host No. 3 Kennebunk (15-2) on Saturday. The Rams beat Biddeford in the regular season, 5-3, rallying for four runs in the seventh inning.
“I definitely feel like, for us, that loss helped us as a team,” said junior pitcher Charlotte Donovan. “It made us realize, yep, people can beat us, and it definitely made us have a fire and it makes us want to come back and beat them.”
Donovan struck out eight and allowed two hits – an infield chop by Delaney Whitten in the fourth and a flare to right in the seventh by Mia Micucci. Donovan and senior catcher Chantelle Bouchard realized quickly the inside corner was there for the taking.
“I was just trying to keep the ball low, switching up speeds and spins,” Donovan said. “This umpire was calling inside, which doesn’t happen a lot of the time, so I was trying to jam them with the screwball and then go outside with the curveball.”
“She’s got a number of pitches and she’s not scared to throw any of them,” said Biddeford Coach Mike Fecteau. “She pitched a great game today. Charlotte doesn’t get the credit in this league because we have a lot of great pitchers, but she’s beaten all the top teams and she’s pitched one-hitters, two-hitters, no-hitters.”
The Biddeford defense sparkled in an errorless effort. At second, Hannah Gosselin snared the two hardest hit liners for outs. Shortstop Hannah Lappin ended the game by ranging up the middle to snag a grounder and start a 6-3 double play.
Biddeford also hit two home runs. Baylor Wilkinson (3 for 3, 4 RBI) cleared the fence with a wind-aided two-run homer in the first, scoring Bouchard, who doubled.
Laura Perreault lined a solo homer to left-center in the third inning for a 3-0 lead. Wilkinson added a two-run double in the fifth, and No. 9 batter freshman Eliza Doyon lined a single to right to score Alexis Libby in the sixth.
Wilkinson, a junior who plays first, hit 10 home runs last season. Friday’s homer was her third this year.
“My batting has been a little below average,” Wilkinson said. “Hoping it comes back in playoffs. I used a new bat today.”
South Portland (8-9) also played well. Starting pitcher Andrea DiMauro kept her team in the game, allowing five hits and three runs in four innings. Micucci took over to start the fifth and also allowed three runs.
South Portland’s defense did not make an error, with above-average plays turned in by center fielder Ella Nickerson and infielders Elise Connor, Julia Flaherty and Maggie Flaherty.
“It’s about taking a step forward. The first time we saw them the second game of the season, they beat us 13-0,” said South Portland’s first-year coach, Bud Voss. “Overall, the way the team has progressed from the beginning to now, I couldn’t be more proud.”
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