Red Storm Softball

Storm Capitalize on errors by Riots

Home Run: S, Murrell; SP, Indorf
Triples: SP, Bogdanovich, Gleason 2
Doubles: S,Hannan 2, Redmond
Repeat Hitters: S, Hannan, Williamson, Giles,
O'Toole, Redmond; SP, Bogdanovich, Gleason, Indorf

Scarborough - Even though her team was enjoying a sizable advantage, Megan Murrell wasn't going to let a little think like a chain-link fence stop her from making a play.

"I didn't know the fence ws there," Murrell said about her third-inning grab against the backstop. "I was going for the ball and hoping it would go in my glove. Then I hit the fence and it felt pretty good because everyone was cheering."

Later in the game Murrell bounced one off the top of another fence, hitting her first career homer to help the Red Storm to a 14-6 victory against South Portland in a Southern Maine Activities Association softball game Tuesday.

Murrell, a first-year catcher who has shared time with fellow first-year catcher Paige Moore-Haskell, has settled behind the plate for the defending Class A champion Red Storm (3-0).
"I think Megan is an easy-going, fun loving kid and she is really into the game,: said Scarborough Coach Tom Griffin. "She's a kid you can just really trust and you can really feel confident with. She knows how to play the game the right way."

Scarborough was in unfamiliar territory when Mo Hannan, its ace pitcher, surrendered two runs in the first inning. erin Bogdanovich led off with a tripple and scored on Olivia Indorf's homer for the Red Riots (1-1).

The Red Storm followed by batting around in their first two at-bats to take control.

Hannan's double to lead off the first began a run of seven straight to reach against Indorf, the South Portland starter. In all it sent 10 batters to the plate and scored four runs.

In the second, the Red Storm took advantage of a couple of two-out errors by South Portland. Clean plays would have limited the damage to two runs, but Scarborough scored seven times as 12 players batted for an 11 -2 lead.

"We didn't do (Indorf) any favors," said South Portland Coach Ralph Aceto. "I mean, she had a few bases on balls but we shot ourselves in the foot more than anything else today."

"You just can't do that kind of stuff against a club like Scarborough or they'll take advantage of it. We need to clean it up."

South Portland, which scored all its runs with two outs, answered with a two-run third. Danica Gleason drove in the first run with a triple followed by a single by Indorf to make it 11-4.

Murrell's home run with two outs in the fifth started a three-run outburst for the Red Storm, who capialized on two more South Portland errors in the inning for a 14-4 lead.

Gleason hit her second run-scoring triple of the game and indorf drove home her fourth run with a single as the Red Riots got two in the seventh to close the scoring.

By Mark Jeanneret / Special to the Press Herald

Date: April 24, 2012     Time: 4:00pm      Venue: Varsity Field