Senior Amy Friedell slides home in a regular season game against Sumner. By Jack Scott
Deer Isle—The girls softball team lost their preliminary playoff game to Stearns 12-6 on June 5. Coach Darian Gove mentioned that we really suffered from too many walks and hit batters, especially in the bottom of the first inning when we gave up 7 runs. We did battle back to trail 7-5 after our third inning, but we couldn’t hold Stearns from scoring a few more runs to ensure their win.
Kaylee Morey made two put-outs at the plate and also caught two runners stealing. Brienna Limeburner made a double play to end the third inning. Our defense was good, but our offense was not as strong as we had been hitting. Abby Stinson, Makayla Lebel, Kaylee Morey, and Deja Brenner each had singles. We had many base runners from walks, with Kaley Eaton and Katie Hutchinson each with 3 walks, Brienna Limeburner and Deja Brenner each with 2.
The girls end up with an 8-9 record and should be stronger next year with most of the team returning. Our Achilles heel for much of the year and the playoff game as well was consistent pitching. We had several players who pitched well at times but getting one who can be consistent will be the key. This requires focus and much work outside the season. We are motivated as a team and should be a contender next year.