GORHAM — Corinne Vasvary scored on a passed ball in the seventh inning as Gardiner earned its first softball state championship since 1980 with a 10-9 victory over Winslow in the Class B final Saturday at the University of Southern Maine.
Gardiner (19-2) overcame a 9-5 deficit, tying the game with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. In the seventh, Vasvary hit a two-out triple and raced home when a pitch to the next batter got past the catcher.
Taylor Takatsu hit a home run and an RBI double for Gardiner. Vasvary and Lainey Cooley also had two hits.
Leah Knight led Winslow (13-8) with four hits, including a leadoff triple that started a two-run first inning. Lacey Sillanpaa and Kaci Fortin each singled home two runs.
CLASS C SOFTBALL
HALL-DALE 5, MATTANAWCOOK ACADEMY 1: Zoe Soule was 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI, and Ashlynn Donahue and Rita Benoit combined on a three-hitter as the Bulldogs (19-0) won their second straight Class C state championship, beating the Lynx (19-2) in Brewer.
Mattanawcook took the lead in the first inning when two errant throws allowed Natalie Tash to score after a stolen base.
Hall-Dale tied it in the second when Sammy Thornton singled home Donahue, then went ahead in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Donahue that drove in Tanley Tibbetts.
In the fifth, Thornton and Soule hit back-to-back doubles, and Soule eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Benoit.
Soule added another run in the seventh, scoring on a groundout by Lily Platt.
Donahue pitched the first four innings before she was relieved by Benoit, who didn’t allow a hit over the final three innings.
CLASS C BASEBALL
BUCKSPORT 1, LISBON 0: Ty Giberson drove in the only run with a single in the fourth inning and pitched 6 1/3 innings to lead the Bucks (20-1) past the Greyhounds (20-1) in the Class C state championship game in Bangor.
It’s the first state title for Bucksport. Lisbon fell short in its bid for a second championship in three seasons.
Bucksport was held to three hits by Lisbon’s Hunter Brissette, but two of them resulted in the lone run. Jake Guty singled in the fourth, stole second and scored on Giberson’s single.
Giberson worked his way out of trouble several times, as the Greyhounds stranded 11 runners. Giberson reached the maximum pitch count with one out and two runners on in the seventh, but Cam Rich got the final two outs on a fly ball and strikeout.
CLASS D BASEBALL
ST. DOMINIC 3, MACHIAS 1: Tanner Berry-Hart hit a two-run single in the first inning, and Ashton Hammond and Timothee Ouellette combined on a six-hitter as the Saints (10-8) beat the Bulldogs (16-3) to win the Class D championship at the University of Southern Maine.
It’s the sixth state title since 2005 for St. Dom’s, which has no seniors and just one junior on its 16-player roster. A year ago, the Saints won only two games – both in the playoffs.
The previous five championships for St. Dom’s were in Class C.
Machias opened the scoring in the top of the first on an RBI double by Kyle Anderson, but Hammond and Ouellette shut down Machias the rest of the way. Ouellette relieved Hammond in the fifth and got two outs before Hammond returned to the mound for the final two innings.
St. Dom’s added two its lead in the fourth inning when Miles Frenette drew a bases-loaded walk, forcing home Curtis Wheeler.
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