Most of the time, the Tigers have been watching other teams rally on them.
Saturday, when Skowhegan rallied to make it a one-run game in the fifth inning of the Class A state championship game, the Tigers were ready.
“My heart was starting to drop again, just like it did against Scarborough,” said Biddeford coach Ray Magnant, whose team was up 7-2 against the Red Storm.
But just like it did against Scarborough, Biddeford was able to thwart the Indians’ comeback hopes and respond with a big inning, eventually finishing off Skowhegan with a 12-7 win.
It’s the first state championship win for Biddeford since 2006.
“It feels incredible,” senior pitcher Kirsten Lebreux said. “It’s been our goal from the beginning of the season. It’s the best way to end the season.”
Lebreux scattered eight hits and struck out nine to lead the Tigers (15-4). She also had a hit and RBI. First baseman Alex Chase had a hit and drove in three.
“Like we’ve done all year, we stay together and fight, fight, fight, “ Magnant said. “They don’t put their heads down. We knew coming in here that Skowhegan was young but scrappy. We’re going to make mistakes but we told them to not put their heads down. (Skowhegan) hit the ball really well. They kept battling and battling all season long. That’s what got us through this.”
Wylie Bedard had two hits and three RBI for Skowhegan (12-8) while Eliza Bedard had a hit and drove in three runs. Annie Worthen had three hits and scored a run.
The Indians, which stormed through the A North tourney with solid pitching and defense struggled in the field at times and had four errors. Skowhegan also couldn’t end the Biddeford threats when needed.
“We had a couple innings where we put ourselves in situations to give them some momentum,” Skowhegan coach Lee Johnson said. “They took advantage of that with some timely hits.”
Biddeford had opened a 6-1 lead in the third inning. The Tigers scored six runs on just three hits. Lebreux singled in a run. Amber Magnan scored on an error and a Brook Davis fielder’s choice plated Erin Martin to make it 3-1. Lebreux scored on a wild pitch and fielder’s choice hits by Charlotte White and Chase added two more runs.
“Every time they gave us anything extra, we had to take advantage of it,” Magnan said.
Skowhegan rallied in the fifth and got within 6-5. Eliza Bedard had a two-run single and Wylie Bedard followed with a two-run triple. She was stranded at third and Biddeford escaped with the lead.
“I think if we could have found a way to push one more across and tied them up, it might have given us a little bit more,” Johnson said. “We were still kind of chasing a little bit.”
Skowhegan’s momentum was short-lived. Biddeford responded with six runs on two hits and two Indian errors to make it 12-5 in the bottom of the inning.
“We needed to come out and shut them down in the next inning and we didn’t,” Johnson said. “That changed the game back around the other way.”
Chase had a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth. Martin had an RBI triple and two errors led to the 12-5 advantage. That chased Skowhegan starter Sydney Ames, who was replaced by Ashley Alward.
“They’re a very good hitting team,” Lebreux said. “I knew we just had to stay calm and not let the pressure get to us.”
Skowhegan had one last gasp in the sixth. Eliza Bedard drove in a run with a fielder’s choice and Sydney Reed walked in a run with the bases loaded. The Indians stranded two in that inning as Lebreux ended the threat with a strike out.
“They had a big comeback and I think I had two strikeouts,” Lebreux. “I was just trying to hit my spots and not put it in a position for them to hit it.”
Down 12-7 going into the seventh, the Indians got a runner on with a walk but Lebreux was able to finish the game with a strike out and a grounder to short.
“She is like ice,” Magnan said of Lebreux. “Nothing fazes her. She stepped up big when the time came.”
Though Skowhegan took the early lead with a Wylie Bedard RBI single in the first, the Tigers built a solid lead like it did against Scarborough on Tuesday.
“I’m proud of the girls,” Magnan said. “They followed the game plan. They stayed aggressive early. They kept the ball in play and made them play defense. I think that’s the biggest thing this year for us. We hit the ball well. We didn’t strike out much. We put it in play and made them play defense.”
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