Staff Writer
KENNEBUNK — The last undefeated softball team in York County does not reside in Saco or Biddeford.
By defeating Portland 14-0 in five innings on Monday afternoon, the Kennebunk Rams are now 6-0 ”“ the only team besides Scarborough in Western Maine Class A to lay stake to that claim ”“ adding the Rams to an already thick playoff race midway through the season.
Kennebunk has won contests in a variety of ways this season, but mostly with its bats. The Rams have outscored opponents 66-12. The Rams may have one of the scariest 3-4-5 spots in the lineup with the combination of Janelle Bouchard, Carinn Burns and Hannah King, who have each hit a home run in the first six games.
“We’ve had great chemistry all year,” said Bouchard, who will be playing Division I softball for Valparaiso University next year. “Everybody has really come together since day one to really get after it this year. We’re here for the same reason as everyone else. We’re here to win.”
Monday afternoon was no different. The Rams jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, thanks to an RBI single by Burns and a three-run homer by King, which jumped off her bat and deep over the center-field fence. The Rams added five more runs in the second inning, including back-to-back doubles from both Burns and King, upping the lead to 9-0.
An RBI triple by Burns was the highlight of the third inning, as the Rams tacked on another four runs to bring the score to 13-0 before Bouchard smacked an RBI double in the fourth to seal the contest with the 14-0 tally.
If that weren’t enough, Burns, who was a home run short of hitting for the cycle, was the starting pitcher and allowed no hits to the Bulldogs in four innings of work. Allison King came in relief of Burns in the fifth, not allowing a hit, ending the contest.
“These are the ones you hope you win,” Kennebunk head coach Jim Lang said. “We had one of these the other day against Westbrook that was a nail-biter. We had the leadoff batter that scores, and that was it. The only hit and the only run.
“In these games, you just don’t know. Today, they went hard and made the plays.”
While the Rams have made the playoffs each of the past two seasons, they are still trying to establish themselves as one of the elite teams in the conference, joining the ranks of perennial favorites Thornton Academy, South Portland and defending Class A champion Scarborough. Kennebunk will have its first crack at one of those teams on Wednesday when it travels to Wainwright Field to play against South Portland.
“You just have to play a solid game,” Lang said. “You’re not going to make two or three errors and get out of those (games with a win). We’ve got to execute and do all the little things.”
“For us seniors, we really want to go out with a strong finish for ourselves,” Bouchard said. “We really want to finish as best as we can and leave it all out on the field.”
— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535, Ext. 323.
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