BIDDEFORD — Biddeford and Thornton Academy went into Saturday’s softball contest with the same record ”“ with both teams at 8-1 ”“ but the visiting Golden Trojans were the favorite to win the contest as they held a long winning streak over the Tigers.
That winning streak came to an end thanks to powerful offense and resilient work in the circle as Biddeford picked up a 7-6 win over TA.
“It was a huge win for this program,” said Biddeford coach Ray Magnant. “It’s been a long time since Biddeford beat TA in softball.”
The Tigers took advantage of two Thornton errors and RBI singles from Brook Davis and Jocelyn Moody as they scored four runs in the first inning.
Biddeford’s lead would extend to 5-0 when Kirsten Lebreux hit a solo home run in the second inning.
Thornton would cut into the lead in the fourth when freshman Louisa Colucci smacked a two-run homer to make it 5-2.
The Biddeford lead would narrow even more in the fifth as Libby Pomerleau singled and scored on a single from Brooke Cross, who was 3-for-3 on the day.
Biddeford answered in the bottom half of the fifth as Brook Davis slammed her sixth home run of the season to make it 6-3. The Tigers would add one more run in the inning when Moody singled and scored on a Brittany Roy single.
Trailing 7-3 heading into the sixth, the Trojans would get one back in the inning to make it even more interesting heading into the final frame.
Biddeford pitcher Abbie Paquette looked to close out the game in the seventh, but it wasn’t going to be easy. Thornton used a walk and a double by Cross to put runners on second and third with no outs. Kendall Burns’ sacrifice fly would cut the lead to 7-5 and Cross scored on an error to make it a one-run game with nobody out.
Paquette, like she did all game long, would reach back and come up with the three big outs ”“ two groundouts and a soft liner ”“ to end the game.
“So proud of Abbie today,” said Magnant.
The Biddeford ace would have to work around the home plate umpire, who was not giving her the strike at the knees.
“Abbie did an excellent job not letting the umpire’s tight strike zone frustrate her. She kept her composure all game long and trusted her defense to help her out. She did a nice job moving, changing speeds and hitting her spots today,” said Magnant.
Magnant was also impressed with the power his offense displayed ”“ especially from Lebreux.
“I knew Abbie Paquette and Brook Davis had very good power … what I didn’t know was Kirsten Lebreux’s home run power,” said Magnant. “I knew she was a good hitter but didn’t know she could hit home runs. So Kirsten adding home run power is huge to this team.”
The Biddeford coach believes this win will be huge for his team down the stretch.
“It’s a confidence booster for these girls and now they know they can play with anybody,” said Magnant.
— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 322.
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