GRAY — Left fielder Lexi L’Heureux-Carland didn’t hesitate or look for a sign from Fryeburg Academy coach Fred Apt at third base
L’Heureux-Carland bolted for home plate the second Gray-New Gloucester (12-6) third baseman Nichole Lowell picked up a grounder hit by Kristina Hudson and threw it to catcher Maria Valente for what looked like an easy out. But L’Heureux-Carland plowed into Valente and jarred the ball loose to score the winning run in the top of the eighth inning. Her heroics handed the No. 7 Raiders (13-6) a 3-2 victory in a Western Class B semifinal softball game Saturday morning.
L’Heureux-Carland was holed up at third base after stretching a double into a triple when the ball came her way.
“I just kind of went,” L’Heureux-Carland said. “I didn’t really think about it much.”
Apt said it was L’Heureux-Carland’s decision to dash to home plate.
“Lexi kind of went on her own,” Apt said. “They dropped the ball. I’m happy about it right now. Runs were tough to come by so… but I never get upset about aggressiveness.”
“She plowed into her. I guess do or die in that situation,” Gray-New Gloucester coach Amanda Harmon said. “It could have went a lot of different ways. It is just the play. It would have been nice if she slid and it could have been different.”
Hits were also scarce thanks to two great pitching performances from Fryeburg’s Nicole Bennett and Fifth-ranked Gray-New Gloucester’s Alie Martell. Bennett allowed only three hits and struck out seven batters. Martell gave up five hits and also struck out seven.
“Two good teams, two good pitchers and it was like whoever bended last, and in this case it happened to go our way,” Apt said.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Patriots had a shot at tying the game when Martell singled and moved all the way to third on sacrifice fly and a stolen base, but the Patriots could not bring her home.
The Raiders opened up 2-0 in the fifth on a solid hit and two errors. Hailey Hudson got on with a walk and Julia Quinn made it to first on an error at third base. They both came home on Mackenzie Buzzell’s solid hit to center field, but there was an error in center field.
Not to be outdone, the Patriots scored on a pair of errors to tie the game. Martell and Cara Waltz got on with errors and came home on Kaelyn Woods’ solid hit. But with two outs, an interference was called on Gray-New Gloucester’s runner, ending the inning for the stalemate.
But the Patriots still gave the Raiders a run for their money in the sixth.
“We finally hit to the hole,” Harmon said. “We finally got it through, got our bunts down. We were aggressive.
“We finally put the ball in play where needed it to be and we took advantage. Got some momentum and carried it.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
