BREWER — Her team gathered around home plate, posing with the trophy that signifies a softball state championship, and Cape Elizabeth Coach Kristen Duross yelled out to her players: “Wait!”
Duross ran into the dugout to fetch her phone. She wanted to take her own photos of this exceptional team, adding another memory to a season full of memories.
Cape Elizabeth completed a perfect season as the Capers (21-0) defeated Winslow 19-4 in the Class B championship game Saturday at Coffin Field. The game was shortened to five innings by the mercy rule.
“This is a very talented team. This is a special team,” Duross said. “I never doubt this team. They are so deep; 21-0 and winning states. It doesn’t get better than that.”
Cape completed the rout with a 10-run fifth inning. The Capers clocked 19 hits and took advantage of seven Winslow errors.
“I’ve never seen a team 1-through-9 like that,” Winslow Coach Kacey Larson said. “They were just hitting around us. Congrats to them. They are a very, very well-seasoned, well-hitting team.”
Cape’s offense easily backed up pitcher Anna Cornell, who allowed nine hits and no walks.
“We came here ready to go, ready to get a quick start, and we did that,” said Cornell, who will pitch at Ithaca College next year. “It’s so nice to enjoy pitching (Saturday) and know your team has your back. Our team just hits well all the time.”
Dana Schwartz, Julia Torre and Cornell all had three-hit games. Schwartz collected two triples and three RBI.
In the top of the first inning, the first two Capers were retired, but Torre, Kathryne Clay and Cornell followed with singles – the latter two knocking in runs – and Cape had a lead it would never surrender.
“We felt like we could win if we came to play the way we know we can,” Clay said. “We came out swinging and, in the last few games, we’ve been really good at scoring with two outs, and we did that multiple times today.”
Winslow (8-12), which surprisingly stormed through the North regional as a No. 8 seed, scored a run in each of the first four innings, but that wasn’t enough to keep up with Cape.
In the second inning, Hannah Mosher led off with a triple to right field, starting a four-run outburst that featured two errors and RBI singles by Esme Song and Clay.
In the third, Kat Callahan led off with a double and Abigail Scifres singled her in. Schwartz tripled and Song followed with another RBI single, and the Capers led 9-2.
Clara Parker’s single was one of eight hits in the fifth inning.
Winslow needed four runs in the bottom of the fifth to keep the game going, but the Raiders went down 1-2-3, the last out being Cornell’s fifth strikeout. The Capers began celebrating, and posing for photos.
“We’ve played together since Little League and have been dreaming of this,” Schwartz said. “We never lost faith.”
This was Cape’s first appearance in the title game since 2007, when the Capers edged Winslow, 2-1. The Raiders were going for their seventh title, their last coming in 2005.
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