Biddeford pitcher Sarah Gilblair grabs a sacrifice bunt laid down by Thornton Academy’s Kelsey Boissonneault in the sixth inning of a Western Maine Class-A softball quarterfinal game, Thursday. (DAN HICKLING/Journal Tribune)

BIDDEFORD — Thornton Academy seniors had gone their entire varsity careers ”“ four years for most of them ”“ without ever having beaten their arch-enemies, Biddeford. They couldn’t have picked a better time to tie up that loose end. And they could scarcely have done it with any more drama than they did, Thursday with […]

KENNEBUNK — Whatever grief the balky elbow of  Emma Vaillancourt might have been giving her early in the Spring, it isn’t bothering her anymore. Not after Vaillancourt and her Thornton Academy mates toppled the No. 7 seeds Kennebunk, 4-0, in a Western Maine Class A softball prelim played Wednesday. The No. 10 Golden Trojans will […]

Kennebunk’s Alex Leonardi (1) begins her slide as Thornton Academy third baseman Julia Geaumont (8) awaits the throw in the first inning of a Western Maine Class-A preliminary playoff game at Kennebunk High School. Leonardi was safe, but didn’t score, and Thornton went on to win the game, 4-0. (DAN HICKLING/Journal Tribune)

SANFORD — The three-year old Sanford girls lacrosse program was pleased enough to be making its first-ever post-season appearance. That doesn’t mean, however, that they were content with merely showing up for the playoffs. They wanted more than that. Which made Tuesday’s Western Maine preliminary round 10-7 win over No. 10 seed Noble all the […]

Sanford’s Jenn Livingston (3) and Sarah Alexandre (4) team up to defend Nobleʼs Sophia Mitropoulos (22) during Tuesdayʼs Western Maine Class A Girls Lacrosse Preliminary game at Cobb Stadium. (DAN HICKLING/Journal Tribune)

SANFORD — Most of the parts were something good, but the sum of those parts was something special. Proving the notion that a lot of little things do add up, the Sanford Mainers received clutch plays at critical stages and wound up squeaking past the Manchester Silkworms, 4-3, before 444 at Goodall Park. It was […]

Manchester’s Eric Fredette (28) reaches first on a throwing error, as the ball sneaks passed Sanford first baseman Mike Roth (4), in the third inning of Monday’s game at Goodall Park. (DAN HICKLING/Journal Tribune)

Kennebunk’s Abbey Leonardi, left, sprints ahead of Scarboroughʼs Whitney Chamberlain and the field, and sneaks a peek at the scoreboard, on her way to winning the state championship in the girls 800-meter run, Saturday, at Hill Stadium in Saco. (CHRIS BROCKMAN/Journal Tribune)

SACO — Neat and tidy. That’s the way Kennebunk freshman Abbey Leonardi swept away all comers in her two events, Saturday, in the Maine Class A state track and field championships, staged at Thornton Academy. With her sights set on setting a new state record in the girls 1600, Leonardi achieved that with ease, while […]