SOUTH PARIS — Kyeria Morse calls it a screwball and it is just one of several pitches in her repertoire.
The pitch worked well for Morse, who collected a dozen strikeouts and led top-ranked Oxford Hills to a 7-0 shutout victory against eighth-seeded Edward Little in a Class A North softball quarterfinal on Friday.
A steady rain hung around for the first two innings before the sun made a bright entrance for the rest of the afternoon at Gouin Athletic Conference.
With the win, the Vikings (16-1) will next host fifth-ranked Brunswick (11-6) on Saturday at noon.
Morse walked just two batters and gave up three hits. She said her changeup and screwball pitches did the trick as well as getting the backing from her teammates.
“(The screwball) is just an inside pitch, and it goes up in the hands and they swing right under it,” she said. “(My team is) always there and behind me. I trust them. I just throw it and let them play.”
Morse’s confidence is high for when the Vikings face the Dragons at high noon.
“I love playing softball,” she said. “It is my Saturday, but I think we’ve got it — just don’t overthink it. We’ve just got to be ready the whole time and play. We’ve already played them and beat them.”
Oxford Hills beat Brunswick 6-0 on the road on May 12. The Vikings’ lone loss came three days later against Messalonskee. They haven’t lost since, winning eight straight games starting with a 12-0 win at Edward Little. The Vikings also beat the Red Eddies 10-0 at home early in the season.
After Morse pitched herself out of a jam, where there were two Red Eddies (8-9) on third and second base just itching to score in the top of the first inning Friday, Oxford Hills got a jump on Edward Little with a four-run outburst in the bottom of that frame.
Edward Little starting pitcher Kassidy Lobb walked outfielder Miah Gallan and infielder Gigi DeVivo and both raced home on catcher Kaydence Morse’s two-run single. Kaydence Morse scored when Charlotte McGreevy got on with an error. Cameron Mayhan slapped an RBI single, scoring McGreevy and giving the Vikes a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
“The last couple of games that we played EL, we’ve gotten the five innings in, and they played tough today,” Oxford Hills coach Cindy Goddard said. “They came in and played the full game and they are always competitive, so we knew it was going to be a game coming in.
“It was a delight to get it in without a lot of rain and sunshine, so that was a treat. I thought Kyeria pitched well.”
Goddard was grateful to the school’s grounds crew and Oxford Hills athletic director Kevin Ryan for getting the fields ready despite all the rain.
“It takes a whole village to make sure softball (games) get in and get our games on schedule,” she said.
Oxford Hills collected three more runs in the third inning. Kaydence Morse walked, moved to second on a passed ball and scored on McGreevy’s RBI single. McGreevy came home on Mayhan’s RBI single. Shortstop Atalie Campbell got on with infield error and Mayhan scored on the play.
The Vikings were well on their way with a 7-0 lead, but Edward Little reliever Madisyn Scott came in with one out in the third inning and helped set down the side in order for the next three innings.
“We played some tough teams in our schedule,” Edward Little coach Elaine Desrosby said. “But the kids battled. At the end, we faced a really good Oxford Hills team, but they supported each other the whole game like we were in it — and that is all we can ask for.”
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