TURNER – A day after the mercury reached record highs, blustery winds and falling temperatures forced hands into pockets and feet into boots. The Leavitt Area High School softball team had neither of those luxuries, so they kept warm the best way they could: by running around the bases over and over again.
Paced by Kristen Healy’s three hits in three at-bats and four runs batted in and Sam St. Hilaire’s two-hitter, the Hornets dispatched the Oxford Hills Vikings 12-0 on Wednesday.
Laura Pratt added two hits for the defending state champion Hornets (2-0), while Lauren Austin had the only two hits on the day for Oxford Hills (1-1).
“We have a young team out there, but I think we filled the spots that we lost after last year pretty well,” said Leavitt coach Pete Higgins. “They didn’t look all that good in warm-ups, but when it came time to play they were all set.”
The cold weather was especially tough on the batteries. The wind blew from behind the catcher toward left field, and the cold temperatures made it hard to grip the ball.
“She throws fast anyway,” Healy said of St. Hilaire. “I can usually grab them in the sweet spot, but a couple of those sting when they hit you.”
St. Hilaire didn’t seem to be bothered much by the cold.
“It’s just like if you were playing in any other weather,” said St. Hilaire. “You pitch with what’s working and go with that.”
St. Hilaire received all the run support she would need in the first inning. After she reached on a single, Healy legged out a triple on a ball that at first looked as though it would be a pop out to left.
“It hung up there for so long in the wind,” said Healy. “I thought for sure it was going to be caught. I don’t know how I made it to third.”
Healy then came home on a Gretchen Conn sacrifice fly to center, putting Leavitt up 2-0.
“We almost lost to them after being up by five or six last year,” said Healy. “We wanted to make sure this time.”
In the second, Leavitt batted around and scored six runs to bring the score to 8-0. The Hornets then sent eight to the plate in the third, tacking on four more runs. Several Oxford Hills errors gave Leavitt a few more chances on the basepaths.
St. Hilaire finished with her second straight two-hitter of the season, striking out eight and allowing no walks in five innings.
jpelletier@sunjournal.com
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