TURNER – Missed it by THAT much.

That was what Lee Johnson seemed to be indicating. The Skowhegan softball coach held up two index fingers with about a foot separating the two. That was all he needed to say about the Indians’ last hopes for the tying run Friday.

With Loreal Sherburne on second with one out, an errant throw from catcher to pitcher allowed the Skowhegan runner to attempt to take third.

“She beat the throw, but she didn’t get to the bag,” said Johnson. “The girl did a nice job blocking the bag.”

Leavitt second baseman Beth Ellis had picked up the loose ball and fired it over to third baseman Alanna Leonard. She applied the tag and all but ended the Indians’ rally.

“Beth had a great throw to me, and I knew I could block it,” said Leonard. “I just got way down low to block it. I wasn’t sure if I would get her, but Beth’s throw was perfect.”

That summed up the day for both Skowhegan and Leavitt. The Hornets made the plays needed to win the game, and the Indians didn’t. After getting the second out at third, Leavitt pitcher Sam St. Hilaire struck out the final batter, her 10th of the game, and secured a 3-2 win.

“It’s good to be in a close game and come out on top,” said Leavitt coach Pete Higgins. “Early season games, you never know what’s going to happen. They’re a pretty good team.”

Though Leavitt built the early lead with single runs in the first two innings, Skowhegan kept close. The Indians got three hits and loaded the bases in the third but managed just one run. After battling St. Hilaire by fouling off numerous pitches, Cassy Martell chased a high pitch and struck out for the final out. In the sixth, three more hits and two errors led to another run. Though Skowhegan had the bases full again with one out, the Indians couldn’t get the big hit needed. Brittney Vigue grounded to first baseman Beth Burgess for a force at the plate. Then Steph Obert ended the threat by grounding out to Burgess.

“This is one of those usual games we seem to have with them every year,” said Johnson. “It comes down to a clutch hit here or there. They seemed to get the key ones when they needed them.”

Leavitt (3-0) produced three hits in the first two innings to build the 2-0 lead. The Hornets lost two of its most potent hitters from last year but have still managed to produce at the plate, scoring 36 runs in its first three games.

“We hit pretty good, but we’ve hit a lot better than we did today,” said Leonard. “We didn’t find many holes. We had a lot hit right to them.”

The first run came when St. Hilaire led off with a triple. She scored on a Steph Healy ground out. Then in the second, Ellis singled and stole second. She scored on a Burgess RBI single. The Hornets had just four hits the rest of the way.

“I think the hitting will come around,” said Higgins. “It’s just gaining confidence for some of the kids.”

Skowhegan (1-1) got one back amidst its threat in the third. Vigue scored on a wild pitch with the bases loaded. Leavitt answered that in the bottom of the inning when Laura Pratt scored on a Leonard single.

Pitching her second game in as many days, St. Hilaire seemed to wear slightly as the game wore on. The Indians produced eight hits in the final five innings and left eight runners on base. In the sixth, however, the Indians could only get a run when Danielle Goff took third on a Laura Dudley single and scored when it was bobbled in the outfield.