Thirteen unanswered runs help Tigers defeat Penquis

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

DEXTER — For the first time since 2013, Penquis Valley High School has enough players to field a softball team. The Patriots had the program’s first game in nearly three years last week at home and the first road contest over a similar timeframe came on April 29 at Dexter.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

HELPING HER OWN CAUSE — Patriots starting pitcher Megan Valvo snags an infield pop-up during the third inning of Friday’s game at Dexter.

The visiting Patriots (0-2) built a 1-0 lead in the team’s first trip to the plate but the scoreboard would be one sided from then on as Dexter (3-2) put up13 runs to earn a 13-1 victory in just under five full innings.

In the top of the first Penquis’ Megan Valvo dropped a single into rightfield to drive in Camryn Rolfe for the 1-0 advantage. Valvo, who also pitched the first four innings, led her team by going 2-of-3 at the plate with a pair of singles.

After a 1,2,3 bottom of the first, the Dexter bats got going in the home half of the second. Christie Nicholas scored on a throwing error to put her team on the scoreboard and the go-ahead (and what would turn out to be winning) run came on an RBI-single to leftfield by Addyson Herrick. An ensuing single and double by Kaylee Harris and Abigail Webber gave the Tigers two more runs and a 4-1 lead.

Dexter more than doubled its run total in the fourth with six runs, using four RBIs, a walk and alert base running to bring a half dozen Tigers home. Herrick would single to rightfield to drive in a pair of runs, giving her a game-high three RBIs on a 2-of-3 day with a bases on balls coming in her fourth at-bat.

After four and half innings, the score was 10-1. Dexter would score two more runs — Kolby Kain scored on a wild pitch and pinch hitter Victoria Asbury had an RBI-single — to up the advantage to 12-1. With two outs, a walk loaded the bases for Kaylee Harris who had reached base in each of her previous three at-bats.

Following a single in the bottom of the second, Harris drew two consecutive walks with both coming during the home half of the fourth. In the bottom of the fifth she did not swing at three pitches out of the strikezone and when the fourth such throw missed the mark she earned a trip first to reach base in all four of her plate appearances.

Harris’ third walk of the day brought Ashley Downing, who had just entered the game as a pinch runner, home for the 13th and winning run.

Kain pitched all five innings for the Tigers. She scattered six hits and struck out seven while not yielding any walks.

Penquis is scheduled to host Dexter on Monday, May 16 at 4:30 p.m.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

SAFE AT HOME — Dexter’s Christie Nicholas slides across the plate before Penquis catcher Camryn Rolfe can apply a tag — with Addyson Herrick having moved out of the batter’s box — during the bottom of the second of an April 29 game in Dexter. Nicholas run on a throwing error would be the first of 13 as the Tigers earned a 13-1 victory in just under five full innings. After not fielding a softball team the last two seasons, the contest was the first for Penquis on the road and second overall since the spring of 2013.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

UNMASKED — Dexter catcher Kaitlyn Hall gets ready to throw to first base in the top of the third as the players in the Penquis dugout look on.

SOFTBALL
Dexter 13,
Penquis 1

           PEN  100  00  |  1            
DEX  040  63  |  13

Penquis (0-2): Valvo 2-3 rbi.
Dexter (3-2); Herrick 2-3 BB

3 rbi run SB; Harris 1-1 3 BB
2 rbi 2 runs 2 SB; Theodore
3 BB 2 runs.
WP — Kain 5 ip 1 run 6 hits
7 K 0 BB.
LP — Dumont 4 ip 10 runs
7 hits 2 K 7 BB.