Red Storm Softball

Scarborough finds clutch hits in walk-off win over Marshwood

SCARBOROUGH ? The Scarborough softball team?s season was down to its final three outs. The Red Storm?s confidence, however, never wavered.

?I knew we had it in the bag,? senior pitcher Meghan Robinson said.

Indeed they did. Seniors Robinson, Alana Sawyer and Jamie Kemper hit consecutive seventh-inning doubles, with Kemper?s scoring Sawyer to lift No. 6 Scarborough to a walk-off 6-5 victory over No. 11 Marshwood/Berwick in the Class A South prelim Tuesday afternoon.

Scarborough (12-5) will face No. 3 Gorham Thursday. Marshwood finished 7-10.

?We?re ecstatic, I?m ecstatic. I?m just grateful to get the opportunity, and be able to really execute it,? said Kemper, who also slugged a two-run home run. ?I?ve grown up playing with these three seniors all four years, and we know that we have each other?s back. The second that Alana hit the ball, I knew that I would follow.?

The teams played a close season finale, won 5-3 by Scarborough, and were closely matched again Tuesday. The Hawks took 1-0 and 2-1 leads, the Red Storm jumped ahead 4-2 on Kemper?s two-run homer, and Marshwood surged ahead 5-4 when Piper Catanese swatted a three-run shot.

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?Marshwood doesn?t play like their record indicates in any way, shape or form,? Scarborough Coach Brian Rice said. ?We knew it was going to be a grind. ? They gave us everything, and fortunately the game was here.?

Scarborough?s rally began with one out in the seventh, when Robinson (3 for 4, two doubles) ripped a line drive over the left-fielder?s head. Sawyer followed with a high drive to left that just stayed in the park for another double, tying the game.

Kemper then worked the count full before lining a ball down the left-field line that just stayed fair, allowing Sawyer to come home as their teammates poured onto the field.

?I was trusting my practice,? Kemper said. ?I think it was the chemistry and energy I was feeling, every single girl in the dugout was on her feet cheering, screaming.?

Rice said that in a huddle before the bottom of the seventh, he sensed that the team was primed for a rally.

?There was kind of a look,? he said. ?It was a quiet confidence. There was no deer-in-the-headlights, no nervousness or a ?what-if? type of thing. I thought they were feeling pretty good.?

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Four batters later, the rally was complete.

?It?s one of the best feelings in the world,? Sawyer said, ?knowing that your team can come out and perform the way you want them to and get the outcome you want.?

The Hawks shook off a sluggish season to push the Red Storm to the brink. Scarborough jumped ahead 4-2 with a three-run third led by Kemper?s home run to left, but Marshwood pulled ahead when Catanese, who batted .661 during the regular season, jumped on a first pitch in the fourth and cleared the right-field fence for a three-run blast.

?She has improved immensely in her game,? Marshwood Coach Pete Eastman said, ?and I think it?s a lot to do with her maturity. She stays after practice, she gets extra reps. ? She?s a player, and it shows.?

The slugfest took a backseat as both pitchers found a rhythm. Emily Hester (six strikeouts) set down eight Scarborough hitters in a row heading into the seventh, and Robinson struck out three while keeping the Hawks off the board over the final three innings.

?There?s definitely a lot of adrenaline, (it was) a nail-biter for sure,? said Robinson, who fanned nine. ?Our coach always says play like Scarborough, that?s exactly what we did and I?m very proud of everyone.?

Eastman, who got three hits and two RBI from Hester, had compliments for his team as well.

?It was probably our best game we played all season,? he said. ?We didn?t give them anything, we hit when we had to. ? You don?t want to see the last game, but it has to happen.?

Date: June 4, 2024     Time: 2:30pm      Venue: Griffin Field