The tandem of Sarah Caron and Erica Dorso make St. Dom’s infield a formidable force.
By Kevin Mills
Staff Writer

AUBURN – It really wasn’t the most ideal situation for either player.

When Sarah Caron and Erica Dorso joined the St. Dominic softball team as freshmen, they were candidates for the same job. It pushed them both but also made for uncertainty. Now those two start side-by-side in the Saints infield, anchoring the left side.

“We both made it freshman year,” said junior Sarah Caron. “We were both competing for the third base spot. He’d switch us around a lot – try us at different positions. The shortstop ended up graduating. So she got third base, and I got shortstop and we’ve been starting there since.”

It has worked out well for the two of them. Caron saw some time at third but also played in the outfield and some duty at short. Once Jen Morissette graduated, that opened the door for Caron to secure the shortstop position while Dorso laid claim to third.

“It worked out better,” said Dorso, also a junior. “Just the fact that I wasn’t so worried all the time of making mistakes or anything like that. I wasn’t afraid that my position would be taken away.”

It was a good solution for both and it worked well for the Saints. St. Dom’s went on to win its second straight regional title and return this year with much of that team intact, including that side of the infield. Caron and Dorso went on to earn all-conference honors last season.

“I actually played (shortstop) in junior high and all the time before that,” said Caron. “So that was my favorite position. That was what I wanted.”

The Saints are favorites to challenge in Western Maine Class C once again, and Caron and Dorso are the key ingredients to St. Dom’s future.

“They really play well together,” said Saints coach Dan Samson. “They talk. They’re focused on what they’re doing and where they’re supposed to be. They communicate. That’s the whole game, communication.”

It has proven to be much easier to work together as opposed to trying to outdo the other.

“It helps out a lot,” said Dorso. “We’re right next to each other. Since we’ve been playing together for awhile, we can kind of read what each other’s going to do as far as covering bases and moving and stuff.”

The Saints are breaking in two new faces to the infield. Julia Harper moves back to second after a year in the outfield. Amanda Collette, a transfer from Lewiston, will play at first when she’s not pitching. Senior all-star Kat Vincent returns behind the plate. Both new infielders have experience at their positions, but Caron and Dorso will certainly help them as well as other newcomers.

“They’re going to be our captains next year,” said Samson. “They’ve got good skills. Both have bats. They’re both good players. The kids really look up to them. I believe Amanda and Julia really look up to those girls.”

Of course, with the caliber of the Saints’ pitching, it doesn’t create a lot of opportunities for the infielders, especially on the left side. Audrey Pleau has been outstanding the last two years while Emily Goss and Collette are proven pitchers of the future. Still, there will be games when the defense gets tested, and like last year, the Saints want to be a team that doesn’t beat itself.

“We do have a really strong defense but sometimes we don’t get to show it,” said Caron. “Every now and then we’ll get one hit to us and get to show we really can catch.”

Still, they work hard defensively in preparation and hone their hitting as well.

“The atmosphere of this team is a lot better than the last two years that I’ve been here,” said Dorso. “There seems like more team unity. It seems like we’re more together this year. Winning states my freshman year was amazing. Last year and then this year, it’s gotten better and better. I feel we have the team this year to go all the way because we have a lot of heart, and that makes a difference.”