FREEPORT – Freeport broke a deadlocked, 5-5 score in the bottom of the sixth when they put up four runs at home against Lake Region Thursday afternoon. KC Breed drove fellow Falcon Vanessa Lee across home plate to cap the scoring in a 9-5 win.

The Falcons improves to 5-7 on the season, while the Lakers fall to 0-12.

For most of the contest, the score remained tight, with the lead changing hands more than once. Freeport head coach Mike Perry attributed his squad’s victory to persistence.

“We just kept playing,” he said after the game. “[Lake Region] kind of sat back on their heels, and we got some runs. We did well.”

Freeport posted the first runs, in the bottom of the first inning. Necole Harrison clubbed a line drive that Lake Region third baseman Tori Girardin couldn’t quite handle, allowing Harrison to safely reach first. She stole second early in Hannah Chase’s at-bat, and dashed to third when Chase made contact but got caught at first. Lauren Cormier then walked to first, before Leigh Wyman stepped to the plate; her drive to left advanced Cormier to second and Harrison to home, putting the Falcons on top 1-0. Vanessa Lee bounced a grounder through the infield and into left, bringing Cormier home again and nudging the score to 2-0. Lake Region escaped the inning without suffering further damage, but the Lakers nevertheless had a deficit to recoup.

They managed to do so, tying the game at 4-4 in the top of the third, when Kayleigh Lepage hopped a grounder past the Freeport second baseman and into right, allowing Lepage onto first. She stole second on Girardin’s at-bat, and advanced to third when Girardin went down at first. Nicole Marucci then got a base hit, bringing Lepage home.

Lake Region tied the game again, at 5-5, in the top of the sixth, when Jackie Laurent stepped to the plate and smacked an RBI.

Strong performances in both the batter’s box and the field helped Lake Region keep the game tight most of the way.

“We played relatively good defense,” Lakers head coach J. R. Warren said. “[And] hit the ball well every time we got a runner on, we seemed to get her around to score.”

But it was the bottom of the sixth that decided the game.

During Freeport’s ups, Harrison launched a base hit into centerfield and arrived at first. Chase then slipped the ball past the Lakers shortstop and made it to first herself, while Harrison reached third. Cormier sacrificed herself, scoring Harrison, and Leigh Wyman’s shot to left field brought Chase dashing home. Amanda Miles landed on first for her at-bat, then Lee reached second while Miles raced home. Breed sidled into the batter’s box next and secured the Falcon triumph when she cut the ball to center-right and Lee scored.

‘That was a big inning,” Perry said of the sixth. “That opened it up, got us in the positive swing. I think it put [Lakes Region] down a little bit.”

“The reason it opened up in the end,” Warren said, “is just good hitting. They hit the ball where we weren’t. They did a good job…moving runners.”

Perry applauded his shortstop, Lauren Cormier, for her contributions to the victory. “[She had] a couple huge at-bats,” he noted.

“First hit, I hit it pretty far,” Cormier said. “I wish it had gone infield, but overall I feel I moved the players around and helped the team a lot.”

Wyman gets the win, having thrown seven strikeouts. She gave up five hits and three walks but no earned runs. “At times, she was throwing smoke,” Perry said of Wyman’s execution. “I think she struggled with her command early on, but then she brought it on.”

Ashley Clark takes the loss; she threw three strikeouts, walked two, and had four earned runs.

Freeport’s next matchup is away against 5-5 Falmouth, on Monday, May 20, at 4 p.m. Lake Region will try their luck again when they host 12-1 Fryeburg Academy, also on Monday, May 20, at 4.

Laker Tori Girardin slides into home just ahead of the tag by Freeport pitcher Leigh Wyman.
Lakers right fielder Nicole Marucci.
Lake Region’s Jackie Laurent in the batter’s box.
Lake Region pitcher Ashley Clark hurls the ball towards home.
Freeport’s Leigh Wyman unwinds into a pitch against Lakes Region Thursday afternoon.
Freeport third baseman Necole Harrison watches the action at home plate.
Freeport’s Hannah Chase waits for the pitch.
Falcon Hannah Chase tags home and ducks away from the errant throw, which Lakers catcher Sam Marucci can’t reach.
Laker Kayleigh Lepage just beats Falcon Lauren Cormier to second.