RICHMOND

Dynasty.

There is no doubt that word describes what the Richmond High School softball team has been able to accomplish over recent time. The Bobcats have appeared in the last five Class D State Championships, winning three of them, and yet again are making a push for its sixth straight appearance.

Head coach Rick Coughlin has been at the helm for more than two decades and though the skipper has had his fair share of success, the last six years have been the highlight of it all, currently holding a 99-5 record since 2010 and riding a 50-game winning streak. The last loss? A 4-2 setback to Penobscot Valley in the 2012 state championship game.

Last year’s title run came behind the right arm of then freshman pitcher Meranda Martin, who has returned for another year, but this time receives help from freshman Sydney Tilton. The Bobcats’ duo has led the way all season long, combining for a 15-0 record in the regular season, with Martin picking up another win over fourth-seeded Vinalhaven in the Western Class D semifinals, 14-2.

Martin alone was responsible for handling the pitching duties last season, but the help from Tilton this year has not only taken the pressure off the sophomore, but adds to the overall force the talented Richmond squad possesses.

“Honestly, there isn’t as much pressure on me,” Martin said. “Last year I was a freshman, pitching every game. This year I have a lot more experience, but there’s still a lot of pressure on me. It feels good to have Sydney as a backup just in case.”

“It feels good to be able to come and do what he (Coughlin) wants us to do and get the job done,” Tilton said in terms of whether she’s playing in the field or dealing on the mound. “It doesn’t matter where we are just as long as we’re coming together and playing as a team.”

For Coughlin, the ability to have two pitchers who have proven their talent makes his job that much easier.

“It’s just super, because Meranda doesn’t have to worry about pitching a doubleheader,” he said. “Because she knows she’s going to pitch one and Sydney is going to pitch the other. She doesn’t have to worry about it and she can go all out in the first game. That’s what’s happened and they’ve both done a marvelous job.”

Over and above the shared time pitching, the two also alternate in the catchers slot, making for a permanent battery on the field, all while creating a higher level of trust between each other.

“It’s made us what we are basically,” Coughlin said of the pair. “They just feed off each other and they’re both talented pitchers and catchers.”

The stats

Through 16 games this season, the numbers have piled up for Martin and Tilton, combining for 115 strikeouts on the hill, while walking an astounding low 14 batters, creating a stellar 8.21-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

The team-first attitude has been a characteristic that Coughlin has preached during his tenure with the Bobcats, and that message has been contagious to the entire team. For Martin and Tilton, the success stems far beyond their achievements on the mound.

“Some teams you say to yourself ‘oh it’s the No. 9 batter, No. 8 batter,’” Martin said about the team’s ability to hit through the lineup. “But, for our team, people will say that and then we just go out there and prove them wrong. It’s a big advantage on our part. We have everyone in the lineup hitting and we work on it all winter long.”

“That improvement in our hitting, we can go out there with confidence in anybody,” Tilton said. “It keeps (other teams) on their toes. They don’t know what’s coming at them.”

Currently, the Bobcats hold a team batting average of .425, with Martin and Tilton leading the squad with a .588 and .563 average, respectively. Another statistic that has favored the duo’s dominance over the season is the combined 64 hits at the plate, collecting more offense than they’ve allowed against teams on the mound all year (56).

Five more everyday players hold batting averages over the .400 mark, with strong performances off the bench from Leanne Bryant (6-for-11) and Cynthia Oakes (3-for-8).

In the 15 regular-season games, the Richmond offense pounded out 206 runs, while limiting opponents to just 26, including six shutouts. The lowest run production for the Bobcats came in a 6-1 victory against Buckfield on May 20.

“It’s a luxury,” Coughlin said about his well-rounded lineup. “We spend a lot of time on hitting. We’re very fortunate to have (former Richmond standout pitcher) Leandra (Martin), because she can throw and that’s what we do, we get close and she throws hard. We do a lot of tee work. We’re just constantly hitting and it has paid off. The kids have really developed into good hitters. I think we’re one of the few teams, if any, that can go one through nine.”

The top-seeded Bobcats will face No. 2 Searsport in the Western D Regional final today at Richard Bailey Field on the campus of St. Joseph’s College in Standish. The two teams met in Searsport back on May 26, a game that Richmond walked way with, 11-1. However, despite the large margin of victory, the team has no plans of taking it for granted.

“Rick has been preaching to us ‘everyone is after us,’” Martin said. “Last season we had a really good season, so this season he’s preached that to us. We have to focus every single practice. With Searsport, we can’t really expect anything. We can expect the people that hit, we can see where they hit, we know how they play, but they may show up as a different team there. You never know what can happen. We can’t really expect to have anything.”

“We have that ‘go-hard’ mentality,” Tilton said. “If we keep that up in the first inning of the game, we’ll close it out. The hitting last game, we’re trying to focus on what we need to work on, but I think we’re ready.”

For Coughlin, the plan is simple … Just focus on Bobcat softball.

“I emphasize focusing, which you have to do, do what you do best,” he said. “They’re a great defensive team, and hitting, you’re just going to have to hit the girl. She’s always going to throw you a pitch that you can hit. I don’t care what pitcher it is. Just wait for that one. Don’t hit her pitch, hit your pitch.”

Today’s game is slated for 3:30 p.m. The winner will move on to Saturday’s state championship game against the Eastern D winner of No. 1 Limestone vs. No. 3 Stearns. Richmond and Limestone met in last year’s title match, with the Bobcats taking the game, 11-5 at Brewer High School.