Queens of York County

BIDDEFORD — When the final results come out today in the Maine Principal Association Heal Point standings, it will show Kennebunk as the third best team in Western Class A softball.

But with its 3-2 win over Biddeford at Doran Park on Wednesday, the Rams cemented its place as the top team in York County, as well as produce the best season in school history with a 13-3 record.

Now that the season is over, and its goal of having its best season put to rest, the Rams can turn to its next goal, focusing on winning the first softball state championship in school history.

“Our goal the whole season was to be a top-four team,” Kennebunk pitcher Kelly King said. “In order to do that, we needed to win this game, because [Biddeford] was a number four. This is the best we have ever done in my four years. We ended the season 13-3, which is really nice.”

The goal is not easy, as evidenced by the team Kennebunk played on Wednesday, who are also in the playoffs, along with fellow York County rivals Thornton Academy (the No. 5 seed) and Sanford (No. 8 seed). Not to mention there are still those two teams in that county to the northeast, Scarborough (No. 1 at 15-1) and South Portland (No. 2 at 15-1).

With the loss, Biddeford dropped from the No. 4 seed to No. 6, which means the Tigers and Rams will meet again in the quarterfinal round when the playoffs begin next week.

Kelly King said the game helped Kennebunk get an idea of what they will see from the Tigers again.

“We can learn from their strengths and we can use that in the playoffs,” King said. “We can see who are their hitters, so if we see them in the playoffs we can play to their abilities.”

Kennebunk took the first shot at the Tigers in the second inning, when Kelly King smacked a Sarah Gilblair fastball over the wall in left field, giving the Rams a 1-0 lead.

King, who had been having recent offensive struggles, credited extra hitting with her dad as the reason she was able to whack the pitch out of the park.

“I haven’t been really hitting consistently in games,” King said. “Yesterday I practiced hitting with my dad for an hour, so I guess it paid off.”

Then in the third, Hannah King, Kelly’s younger sister, tried to one-up her by smacking a two-run single, plating Alex Leonardi and Carinn Burns, giving the Rams a 3-0 lead.

Biddeford (11-5) made a charge in the fourth inning, when Christina Archambeault smacked a two-run single into right field, bringing the score to 3-2. On the play, Archambeault tried to make a break to second base after a throw was made to home plate, but Kennebunk catcher Janelle Bouchard threw a laser to second to get Archambeault out, ending the rally. It would be the last opportunity the Tigers would have at scoring. Kelly King settled down on the mound in the last three innings of play, allowing just one hit.

Though she took the loss, Gilblair outdueled King, striking out nine batters, while King finished with four strikeouts.

Biddeford head coach Leon Paquin said he has been proud of the Tigers all season, and is confident the team can perform well in the playoffs.

“3-2 shows that we can play with them,” Paquin said. “At the beginning of the year, there was no one picked in the top 25 players to watch from my team, there were some on their team. [Biddeford] wasn’t picked in the top 10 teams to watch. We came within one run of being the number three team in this league. I’m very proud of them. We’ll show up to play [Kennebunk], and we’ll have to play good, because they’re a good team. If we just play the way we are, I’ll be happy.”