SANFORD — A break during the first at-bat of the game against South Portland Saturday may be why the Sanford softball team is headed to the Western Maine final. The Spartans took control early and kept the Red Riots from defending their regional crown in South Portland.
“It was the product of a few things,” Sanford head coach Kristi Cochin said in an interview Monday after the Spartans’ practice. “Right from the start Sam Fecteau gets on, to lead the game off, on a passed ball. And I think we kind of got just the positive momentum going our way. We had the ball bouncing our way.”
Although Sanford entered the game as the No. 3 team in the bracket, and had already beaten the Red Riots during the regular season, South Portland was an odds-on favorite to win the game and make it back to the regional final. Cochin said she knew what the perception was.
“Do I think that we got underestimated? I do. I could hear it all up and down the sidelines coaching third base,” said Cochin. “And then Sam (Adams) comes up and hits that RBI triple, and we produce. And Caitlin knocks her in.
“These guys were not settled with just making contact. They were up there to hit.”
The Spartans jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the Red Riots and their star pitcher Erin Bogdanovich. They knocked in three more runs in the third to put all the pressure on South Portland.
“Bogdanovich is a great pitcher, we all knew that. We used the batting machine before the game. We really knew that we just had to make contact, and make them make the plays, and hope for the best,” said Adams. “That really swung our momentum into things. It really got us pumped up, and kind of opened our eyes that we really did have a chance at this.”
That comforting lead might have been even more important for Sanford’s younger players, who have been put in major roles all season. But Cochin said that her younger players haven’t really reacted to any sort of pressure.
“Some kids are blissfully oblivious to how high-stakes it is. And that’s good,” said Cochin. “I’d rather see it like that. I’d rather just see them playing and having fun. I think they make the best decisions when they’re playing for fun.”
And Cochin said the mounting realism that the Spartans could actually win as the game went on only helped her team out, rather than making them nervous.
“I don’t think I saw nerves. I think I saw tenacity. I saw them get stronger, get more confident as the game went on,” said Cochin. “And as they kept looking up at that scoreboard, and kept seeing the numbers of the innings gets higher, and kept seeing that zero up there, they knew they were doing what they needed to, and they knew they should be confident.”
Cochin said it was good that her team struck early like it did, because Bogdanovich gets stronger as games wear on, and that held true in the semifinal.
Conversely, Adams said she had some tense moments on the mound in the later innings, when the Red Riots were in desperation mode.
“They got a few pretty high fly balls into the outfield. A few of them I thought were going to be gone,” said Adams after practice on Monday. “But luckily, like Nicole Main tracked one down, made big plays. Defense just made big plays the other day, and I’m thankful for that as a pitcher.”
South Portland was able to plate a run in the sixth, but Adams said even that didn’t make the team sweat, as they worked to get outs and didn’t worry about base runners, and they got the outs they needed.
On the final out of the game, Cochin said a normally stoic Adams showed sheer joy.
“I remember Morgan Fogg and I looked at each other just with our mouths open. We were like, ”˜Oh my gosh,’ and got really excited,” said Adams. “Our team was just really excited and really happy.”
“They were pretty proud of themselves. And as well they should be,” Cochin said. “Nobody expected us to be here, except us. And even with that, we’re just happy to still be playing.”
The Western Maine final will be played at St. Joseph’s College on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 323.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less