BREWER – It’s been a step-by-step progression for Telstar softball in recent years.
After winning the regional title last week, the Rebels were ready for the giant leap to a state championship Monday, but the Red Devils from Central put a halt to that.
Central, which lost to Sacopee Valley in the 2003 state final, took its own giant step with a 2-1 victory at Coffin Field.
Telstar was plagued by too many mistakes and too few hits. A wild pitch in the third advanced a runner that eventually scored, and a two-out error in the fifth scored the game-winner. The Rebels left four runners on base in the final three innings, including the tying run at second in the sixth.
“We made a mistake when we shouldn’t have and we didn’t get a hit when we should have,” said Telstar coach Jim Lunney.
Telstar had six hits, five of which came in the final four innings.
“We weren’t as aggressive as I would have liked,” said Lunney. “We took some strikes in some key situations when I think we should have been swinging the bat. You’ve got to give (Alyssa Libby) credit. She wasn’t a dominating pitcher, but she kept us off guard. She put the ball where she wanted to. She mixed up speeds. She was in command and the team behind her made the plays.”
Libby struck out two and walked just one. Jessie Farrington was the only Rebel to get two hits. Though Jillian Kimball got an infield hit to lead off the game, Telstar didn’t get another hit until the fourth.
“I mixed it up,” said Libby. “I tried to keep them off balance with different speeds. I did everything I could do. I tried to get into their heads.”
Telstar tried to be aggressive right away. When Kimball reached on her hit, she went for third on a Tiffany Jordan bunt, just like she did in the semifinal win over Jay. This time, she stumbled around second and was tagged out at third.
“That would have been a big one,” said Lunney. “I don’t think it hurt. We didn’t get down about it, but it was an opportunity lost.”
Instead, it was Central that struck first. Though Kimball got out of a jam after a Kara Voisine triple in the second, a Kristie Collins single turned into a run. After advancing on a wild pitch and sacrifice, she scored on a Jenny Rollins single.
“When you get that first one, you breathe a little easier and the kids relax a little bit and that helps,” said Central coach Durice Washburn.
Telstar ended a threat in the fourth when third baseman Stephanie Tripp snared a line drive and threw to Farrington covering third to double up the runner. Central also had a nice double play when Libby grabbed a shot hit back to the mound and got the runner at first. The best defensive play may have been Central’s Lindsey Mitchell diving in right, robbing Abby Hutchins of an extra-base hit and an RBI in the fifth.
Central made it 2-0 in the bottom of the inning. Erica Brownell singled and advanced on a passed ball and wild pitch. A high throw on a routine grounder to second allowed her to score.
Telstar’s biggest threat came in the sixth. Josie Reiss singled and after Kimball reached on an error, Farrington singled Reiss home. With runners at first and second, Libby got Liz Rosenberg to pop up and struck out Kayla Mills looking on back-to-back pitches to end the inning.
“We were in a good position,” said Lunney. “With Liz Rosenberg up, I was saying to myself, I wouldn’t want anybody else up.’ She’s a clutch hitter. She took a pretty good strike and went after one and popped it up.”
Hutchins singled in the seventh. With two outs, Reiss had a potential hit land land in foul territory down the right-field line. She then hit one back to Libby, who barely got her at first to end the game.
“It was a game of inches at times and the inches worked against us,” said Lunney. “You’ve just got to congratulate them. They played well, and they played better than we did.”
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