The sophomore pitcher even had a starring role for the offense when her two-out hit in the seventh inning lifted Madison to a 6-5 win over Oak Hill.
Though the Bulldogs jumped out to a 5-0 lead, Wood battled through two lengthy delays before the game finished — three hours and 45 minutes later.
“I had to warm up like three times,” Wood said. “It’s always hard coming back after a break because you’re not in a groove. Your arm is stiff. It’s really hard to find the strike zone again.”
It was a tough loss for Oak Hill (8-7). The Raiders needed a win over the top-ranked Bulldogs (14-1) to bolster their playoff hopes. Oak Hill is seeded 11th in Western B after the loss. The Raiders end the regular season at Wiscasset but may not have enough Heal Points with the win to get them in.
“It could be just like last year,” Oak Hill coach Allyson Collins said. “I feel bad because the girls have worked really hard, and they deserve it, I think.”
It was a Senior Day that the Raider players won’t soon forget. Kayla Veilleux, Sadie Goulet and Iris Abbott were each recognized before the game. The Raiders then fell behind 5-0 only to rally twice. Oak Hill made it 5-3 in the fourth before lightning came and caused an hour delay. After play resumed, the rains came and another lengthy delay followed. The Raiders spent much of the next hour prepping the field for a second restart.
“We had that one inning again that got us and got us down by five runs,” Collins said. “Something that wasn’t happening in the middle of the season was that we weren’t picking our heads up and pushing through. We were able to do that this time and came back and tied the game.”
Kayla Veilleux led the Raiders with two hits and four RBIs. Her three-run triple cut the lead to 5-3 in the fourth. She doubled in a run in the sixth and scored the tying run on a Brooke Surette squeeze play.
“She came through for us today every time we needed her to,” Collins said of Veilleux. “She did a great job for us.”
The first delay came after Oak Hill scored three runs in the fourth. The break lasted an hour. Though play resumed, weather conditions deteriorated quickly. Downpours began and Wood struggled to control the wet ball. She walked Abbott with one out in the sixth. Play was then called to let the rain lessen. It was nearly another hour before play resumed.
“When it’s that close, you just have to dig down deep and try your hardest,” Wood said. “You can’t let the game get away from you.”
After a delay which featured the entire Raiders team working the infield to make it playable again, Veilleux stepped up and tripled again.
“I had been going through a slump and then I just started hitting,” Veilleux said. “I got really excited about that and my team always backs me up and believes that I can do it.”
Oak Hill tied it when Surette put down a nice squeeze bunt that scored Veilleux. Surette also made a number of sparkling plays at short for the Raiders, including a backhanded catch in the seventh.
“It was kind of intense, especially after it got 5-5,” Veilleux said. “That’s when everyone started picking it up. We were hoping we could get it, but we all stuck together and played well.”
Madison got out of that sixth and took the lead in the seventh. With two outs and two on, Wood came up and singled. The Raiders missed the cut off and an errant throw allowed Kayla Bess to score the lead run.
“I knew that we needed that one run because they had the momentum,” Wood said. “I knew if we got at least one, we could hold them off in the last half of the inning.”
Madison loaded the bases, but Oak Hill ended the inning with a nice catch on a foul pop. Catcher Emma Hlister lept through muddy slop to make the catch and keep the game within reach.
Oak Hill couldn’t muster a rally in the bottom of the inning. First baseman Erin Whalen made a nice stretch for a throw from Bess at shortstop on a Sadie Goulet grounder for the second out. Wood then struckout the final batter for the win.
“I was definitely shaking and nervous on those last couple of batters,” Wood said.
Madison took the lead in the second on four hits and two Oak Hill errors. After Ashley Emery scored on a miscue, Bess singled in a pair. Then Wood tripled in Bess and scored on an error for the 5-0 lead. Wood finished with three hits while Bess scored twice and drove in two.
The Raiders didn’t wilt. Goulet pitched well, scattering seven hits through the first six innings. Oak Hill didn’t have another error until the seventh. The Raiders also started getting some hits off Wood. Hlister got a pop that dribbled away from Wood for a hit in the third, then Jamie Prue, Grace Sabine and Abbott each hit the ball hard in the fourth.
“We do a lot better when we stay up as a team and cheer for each other,” Veilleux said. “Even if things don’t go our way, if we can stay up, we just play so much better.”
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