LEWISTON — Emmie Streams had herself a day.
The Bangor catcher hit for the cycle and drove in three runs to help the Rams defeat Lewiston 15-3 at Fleurette Roux Bannon Softball Field on Saturday.
Streams said a lot of pitches were thrown to where she likes to drive the ball.
“She pitched very well, and that strike zone was very tight,” Streams said of Lewiston pitcher Ava Dionne. “It was hard to hit it. And when she hit that spot on the outside of the plate, it’s my favorite (spot). I kept looking for that today.”
Bangor belted 16 hits in the game. Coach Sophia Sciarappa said she hopes the Rams (1-1) will ride the momentum from Saturday’s game into their home opener against Hampden Academy.
“There were a lot of good at-bats in this game,” Sciarappa said. “I think what we did today can carry on to our game on Monday.”
Lewiston coach Ryan Cormier said the Blue Devils will learn from their mistakes, which included three errors.
“The way we responded after the first couple of innings after Bangor got on the board, that’s our team right there,” Cormier said. “We had a few hiccups in that one inning, the third inning, allowed some routine plays to get away from us.”
Steams, Bangor’s leadoff hitter, opened the game with a triple to left-center field. Taylor Coombs’ single plated Streams and Casey Carter, who reached base on a walk, for a 2-0 Rams lead after half of an inning.
After Dionne got two ground outs to start the top of the second, Streams belted a ball to deep right field that fell just out of reach of the Lewiston outfielder’s glove. Streams sprinted around the bases for an inside-the-park homer, extending the Rams’ lead to 3-0.
“It’s fun running around the bases,” said Streams, who has committed to play basketball at the University of Maine. “Obviously, it’s fun to hit one fully out, but I will take an inside-the-park home run.”
The bottom of the order got things going for the Blue Devils (0-2) in the bottom of the second. Isabella Enos, who led off with a walk, scored from second on Reese Maynard’s one-out double. Maynard later scored when Ava Marquis reached on an error, and Aubrey Peer’s single brought home Marquis to tie the game at 3-3.
“Like they did against Poland, they were the spark,” Cormier said of the bottom third of the lineup, referencing Lewiston’s 15-14 walk-off loss to the Knights on Wednesday. “They brought us back to life, where it felt like we were just watching the game, but then we started playing. For those girls to get on and get us going, I am proud of them doing that.”
Bangor’s Eva Coombs started the top of the fourth with a single and scored the go-ahead run when Streams notched a double. Streams reached third on the throw to home, but she was stranded there with the Rams leading 4-3.
Bangor opened the game up in the fifth when they scored seven times to take an 11-3 lead. The onslaught was highlighted by Eva Coombs’ and Emma Kennedy’s RBI singles, Streams getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Carter’s single to right field that scored two runs.
Sciarappa was pleased with the production of the Rams’ middle and bottom of the order in the fifth.
“They had their timely hits, and did their job and got on base,” Sciarappa said. “We scored runs, just like we practiced it.”
Lewiston only recorded one hit after the second inning, but its batters were patient at the plate and drew four walks in the final five innings.
Bangor starter Raegan Sprague went the distance, giving up three runs, five hits, eight walks and struck out five.
The Rams scored four more times in the top of the seventh as six batters recorded a single, including Streams, to complete her cycle.
“It feels good, it’s always fun, but I wasn’t thinking about it,” Streams said of the cycle. “I was trying to make contact.”
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