GORHAM – Gorham’s Samantha Robinson belted a fly ball to centerfield, bringing teammate Gabrielle Martell home and putting the Rams on top 3-2 against Westbrook Monday afternoon. Gorham added three more runs before the game was over, while the Blue Blazes managed only two, giving the Rams a morale-boosting 6-4 victory.

Gorham climbs to 5-8 in 2013, while Westbrook stumbles to 6-7.

“All year, our defense has been key,” Gorham coach Steve Martin said after the game. “You saw the [top of the second, 9-2-5] triple play. I’m so proud of the way we play defense…[And ] our pitcher [Katelyn Wilson] did a great job.”

Westbrook jumped on top early 2-0, but Gorham pushed back in the bottom of the second. Martell bunted to advance Courtney Roberts, who’d walked to first, and bring home Lindsey Wilcox, who was waiting on third. April Cummings then knocked a grounder to centerfield, scoring Roberts, moving Martell to third, and landing herself at first. Robinson next flew to centerfield, sending Martell across the plate and making the score 3-2, giving the Rams the lead for good.

That brought Westbrook head coach Dee Allen to the mound. She exchanged pitchers, starter Allison Lemay for reliever Kayla Tibbetts. Tibbetts navigated her team out of the inning, but the damage had been done.

“Our pitcher’s arm was bothering her, our starter, Alli; her arm started hurting her…so, took her out and got Kayla in,” Allen said. “I thought Kayla did a nice job….She threw strikes, and got outs for us.”

Gorham piled on three more runs in the bottom of the fifth, extending their lead to 6-2. Westbrook made a run at that gap in the top of the sixth, however. Emily Thornton opened the action with a single. Teammate Emma Berry then walked to first, pushing Thornton to second. Kerigan Demers went to first after being hit by Gorham pitcher Katelyn Wilson, and the bases were loaded. Lemay hit a trickling gounder that scored Thornton, and Westbrook looked to rally.

Amberly Delponte, however, hit a chop to Gorham shortstop Erin Smith, who caught her out and made a quick pass to third baseman Lindsey Wilcox, who quickly tagged Berry out for the double play.

Strong play in the field allowed Gorham to escape the sixth without relinquishing the lead.

“Again, it just comes down to defense,” Martin said. “Bases loaded no outs, I believe and we happened to get a double play. [Westbrook] is obviously a very good team. They’re up there in the ranks, and we’re struggling to make playoffs…It’s a tough league for us for everybody, really.

Westbrook made another attempt at the lead in the top of the seventh. Michaela Carey knocked a fly ball that dropped near Gorham catcher Kara Stahl, sending Carey to first. Katie Clark then fired a deep shot to centerfield, allowing Carey to score. Clark, however, got caught out at third.

“[It was] miscommunication between me and the base runners,” Allen said. “I was wheeling Michaela around to score, and Katie thought I was wheeling her around to third.”

Clark holding at second would’ve been the safer play, Allen indicated. “Because then we have two, three, four coming up…who’ve hit the ball pretty well today, had success getting on base. [Clark’s] a good runner; she can score from second on a base hit. Just miscommunication.”

The moment drained Westbrook’s momentum, and the game went Gorham’s way.

Wilson maintained command of the ball for all seven innings, and walks away with the win for Gorham. Lemay takes the loss for Westbrook.

Martin said the win will be huge for his team’s confidence. “We tend to play well at home, and we tend to play well against teams that are above us in the standings.”

“If we could just get the bats going a little bit more,” Martin said, indicating an area he’s likely to focus on in upcoming practices. But he’s seen improvement as the season has progressed.

Despite the loss, Allen lauded more than one of her players.

“I thought Michaela did a great job at second,” she said. “She got dirty; there was a line drive she knocked down. If she didn’t knock that down, it would’ve been a gapper and two runs probably would’ve scored. She knocked it down and saved the runs for us, and was just in it the whole game.”

Allen also applauded catcher Kerigan Demers’s nimble play behind home plate.

The Rams face a challenge in their next match: Biddeford, who’ve won their last nine. That game takes place on the Tigers’ home turf on Wednesday, May 22, at 4 p.m. Westbrook’s upcoming bout is against the 9-4-1 Bonny Eagle Scots, a home game also scheduled for Wednesday, May 22, at 4 p.m.

Gorham’s Gabby Martell steals second.
Westbrook catcher Kerigan Demers.
Ram second baseman Sam Roberts readies for the play Monday against Westbrook. Gorham went on to win 6-4.
Gorham’s centerfielder, Gabby Martell.
Westbrook reliever Kayla Tibbetts unleashes a pitch Monday at Gorham.
Gorham’s April Cummings waits on third during Monday’s 6-4 Ram win over Westbrook.
The Westbrook outfield, from left, Emma Berry, Emily Thornton and Heather Bailey during Monday’s game at Gorham, a 6-4 Ram victory.