Lakers advance to regional final with win vs. Buckfield

GREENVILLE — Greenville High School came back in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat Buckfield High School 7-6 in a Class D South softball semifinal on June 10 between the region’s second and third-seeded teams.

Down two in the inning, the Lakers (who moved to 14-3 with the team’s 10th straight victory) recorded two singles before a ground-rule double by freshman Bianca Breton knocked in the tying run. The bases were then loaded after an intentional walk to junior Sierra Bussell.

Freshman Halle Pelletier made Buckfield pay for the intentional walk by hitting a single to rightfield to drive in the game-winning run.

The visiting Bucks (15-3) jumped out to a 4-1 advantage after three and a half innings before Greenville took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fourth. In the top of the sixth, Buckfield went ahead 6-5.

Senior Kali Litchfield had three hits including a double for the Bucks. Starting sophomore pitcher Abby Shields had a pair of hits while junior Cassidy Hart also had two hits.

Breton picked up three hits, including the double, and Pelletier ripped a triple to go along with her walk-off single.

The victory advanced Greenville to the Class D South championship, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon against No. 1 Richmond High School at St. Joseph’s College in Standish. The Bobcats (17-0) entered the game having won 87 consecutive games (the longest such streak in any Maine high school sport), four consecutive Class D championships and seven regional titles in a row.

The berth in the regional final is the first for Greenville since 2014, when the team fell in what was then the Class D West championship to Richmond for the second year in a row.

The 2017 Greenville-Richmond winner will move on to the Class D championship on Saturday, June 17 at 4 p.m. at St. Joseph’s College, facing the winner of Class D North No. 1 Southern Aroostook Community High School of Dyer Brook and second seed Penobscot Valley High School of Howland.