Red Storm Softball

Scarborough Caps Perfect Season With Class A Title

Softball:
Pitcher Lilly Volk leads the Red Storm to a 3-0 win over Skowhegan.

BY TAYLOR VORTHERMSSTAFF WRITER

Scarborough celebrates their win over Skowhegan in the Class A softball state championship in Augusta on June 17, 2017. Staff photo by Jill Brady
AUGUSTA — In her four years on the Scarborough High softball team, Lilly Volk and her fellow seniors lost only three games, all in the postseason.

One loss has haunted Volk since her sophomore year, when she gave up just one hit in the 2015 Class A state championship game. It was a home run, and Scarborough lost, 1-0.

“It weighs on me every day,” Volk said. “That’s been my biggest heartbreak, and I’ve just used that as my motivation.”

The Red Storm (20-0) redeemed themselves Saturday on the same field where they lost the 2015 state final to Messalonskee, defeating Skowhegan 3-0 at Cony High School for their first state title since 2013.

Volk, Hannah Ricker and Abbie Murrell are the only seniors on Scarborough’s roster. During their four years, the Red Storm were undefeated in the regular season, but they lost in the regional final in 2014 and 2016 in addition to their state final loss in 2015.

Volk helped make sure their season wouldn’t end in disappointment this time. She struck out 13 and held Skowhegan (17-3) to two hits.

“That game was emotional on a whole different level, but winning this game just brought tears to my eyes,” Volk said, her voice cracking. “The fire in our stomachs was boiling through our bodies.”

Scarborough had a chance to score in the third, with two outs and two runners in scoring position, but Skowhegan second baseman Julia Steeves fielded a Murrell grounder and threw her out to end the threat.

“We were just swinging and swinging, so we stopped aiming for the fence,” Volk said. “We settled down, took some deep breaths and had a shorter stroke. Get those little singles, just chip away at them, and that’s what we did.”

With two outs in the fourth, Chloe Griffin put the Red Storm on the board with a two-run single that scored Samantha Carreiro and Lindsey Kelley. Isabella Dickinson made it 3-0 in the seventh when she belted a leadoff triple and scored on an errant throw to third base.

Volk and Ricker each hit two singles for the Red Storm, who have won five state championships since 2007.

Scarborough finished with no errors while Skowhegan made three – starting with a dropped fly ball on the first batter of the game. Skowhegan pitcher Ashley Alward prevented the Red Storm from capitalizing on the mistake, closing out the inning with two strikeouts and a popout. Alward finished with nine strikeouts. Annie Cooke and Alyssa Everett got the only hits for Skowhegan, which lost in the state final for the second straight year.

“That’s the way the kids have played all year – they found ways to battle,” Skowhegan Coach Lee Johnson said. “The kids showed a lot of heart and found a way to compete the whole day.”

In the bottom of the second, Courtney Brochu dove to field a Lindsey Warren grounder before throwing her out. Volk caught a low line drive by the next batter.

Volk kept most of the Skowhegan hitters from making good contact, with only a single and a fly ball leaving the infield the entire game.

“The score would have been tied if we didn’t have that defense out there behind (Volk),” said Ricker, a senior catcher. “We’ve been so close, so to be able to come back and play a really good game means a lot.”

Scarborough had to replace its entire starting infield from last season, but still finished with a perfect record.

“We had to regroup – we had a freshman and a sophomore out there anchoring our middle infield,” Coach Tom Griffin said. “When it comes down to big games, defense is usually what separates it.”

Dickinson, a freshman shortstop, made the final play, throwing out Skowhegan’s Mariah Dunbar.

“They deserve this,” Griffin said. “This is the hardest working group I’ve had in the last 30 years, and probably the most talented.”

Taylor Vortherms can be contacted at 791-6417 or:
tvortherms@pressherald.com
Twitter: TaylorVortherms

Red Storm
Lineup AB R H RBI BB K
Chloe Griffin 3 0 1 2 1 0
Laura Powell 4 0 0 0 0 2
Lilly Volk 4 0 2 0 0 1
Emily Jefferds 0 0 0 0 0 0
Abbie Murrell 4 0 1 0 0 1
Courtney Brochu 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sam Carriero 2 1 0 0 2 0
Lindsey Kelley 3 1 1 0 0 0
Felicia O'Reilly 2 0 0 0 0 2
Hunter Greenleaf 1 0 0 0 0 1
Hannah Ricker 3 0 2 0 0 1
Bella Dickinson 3 1 1 0 0 1
Totals 29 3 8 2 3 9 Batting
3B: Bella Dickinson
TB: Bella Dickinson 3, Chloe Griffin, Lindsey Kelley, Abbie Murrell, Hannah Ricker 2, Lilly Volk 2
RBI: Chloe Griffin 2
SAC: Lindsey Kelley
ROE: Sam Carriero, Chloe Griffin
SB: Sam Carriero
CS: Hannah Ricker
Totals
Team QAB: 17 (51.52%)
Sam Carriero 4, Bella Dickinson, Chloe Griffin 3, Lindsey Kelley 2, Abbie Murrell, Laura Powell 2, Hannah Ricker, Lilly Volk 3

Team LOB: 9

Red Storm
Pitching IP #P S% H R ER K BB HR
Lilly Volk 7.0 82 .817 2 0 0 13 1 0
Totals 7.0 82 .817 2 0 0 13 1 0 Pitching
W: Lilly Volk
HBP: Lilly Volk
Pitches-Strikes: Lilly Volk 82-67
Groundouts-Flyouts: Lilly Volk 6-2
First pitch strikes-Batters faced: Lilly Volk 20-25

Skowhegan HS
Lineup AB R H RBI BB K
Sydney Ames 3 0 0 0 0 1
Sydney Reed 3 0 0 0 0 2
Ashley Alward 3 0 0 0 0 2
Lindsey Warren 1 0 0 0 1 0
Allison Ingalls 0 0 0 0 0 0
Julia Steeves 3 0 0 0 0 2
Wylie Bedard 3 0 0 0 0 3
Emma Duffy 3 0 0 0 0 2
Annie Cooke 2 0 1 0 0 1
Alyssa Everett 1 0 1 0 0 0
Amber Merry - - - - - -
Sophia Brewer - - - - - -
Mariah Dunbar - - - - - -
Elizabeth York - - - - - -
Totals 22 0 2 0 1 13 Batting
TB: Annie Cooke, Alyssa Everett
SAC: Alyssa Everett
HBP: Lindsey Warren
Totals
Team QAB: 8 (32.00%)
Emma Duffy, Sydney Reed, Julia Steeves, Ashley Alward 2, Alyssa Everett, Lindsey Warren 2

Team LOB: 4
Fielding
E: Sydney Ames, Alyssa Everett, Lindsey Warren

Skowhegan HS
Pitching IP #P S% H R ER K BB HR
Ashley Alward 7.0 129 .612 8 3 1 9 3 0
Totals 7.0 129 .612 8 3 1 9 3 0 Pitching
L: Ashley Alward
WP: Ashley Alward
Pitches-Strikes: Ashley Alward 129-79
Groundouts-Flyouts: Ashley Alward 7-4
First pitch strikes-Batters faced: Ashley Alward 13-33

Date: June 17, 2017     Time: 12:00pm      Venue: Cony