Amanda Michaud scatters three hits, but Lewiston’s seven errors lead to a 4-3 loss to Skowhegan.

LEWISTON – After squandering a two-run lead with three errors in the fifth inning, things only went from bad to worse for the Lewiston softball team.

Two innings later, another trio of miscues enabled Skowhegan to build a 4-2 lead that held up in a 4-3 victory Wednesday.

“The ball definitely had rolls against us today,” said Lewiston coach Fred Royer.

Lewiston (9-5) committed seven errors in the game, wasting a fine pitching effort by Amanda Michaud, who allowed three hits, two of which came off bunts. Michaud struck out eight batters, but Skowhegan hurler Mariah Daigle gave up five hits and struck out eight.

Though Skowhegan (10-3) struggled to produce anything off Michaud early, the two runs on one hit and three errors turned the tide in the fifth.

“We were on our heels until that point,” said Skowhegan coach Lee Johnson. “You could sense it when the kids came off the field that the momentum had shifted.”

That set the table for the seventh. With one out, Vigue delivered a sharp single – the only authoritative hit off Michaud. Johnson had noticed his team hitting balls into the air and decided to utilize its bunt game.

“We had to do something,” said Johnson. “We tried to get some bunts and for the first time in awhile, we got some down and made them make some plays. We’ve got some speed on the team, too, and we used it to our advantage.”

A bunt by Whitney Fortier was thrown away, putting runners on second and third. A Laura Dudley bunt went back to Michaud, who threw home, but the catcher wasn’t watching, allowing Vigue to score. Later in the inning with two outs, a Cassy Martel fly to left was dropped, scoring Dudley.

“We have been playing sound defense,” said Royer. “We’ll go back to the drawing board and continue to practice those situations and get ready for the next few ballgames.”

Lewiston trimmed the deficit to 4-3 when Katie Morin hit a two-out homer in the bottom of the inning. Morin had two of Lewiston’s five hits.

She scored the first run after a triple and an error on a Meagan Marcoux pop up in the first.

Lewiston had ample opportunities to build the lead. Jess Nadeau was thrown out at home in the second after two Skowhegan errors. In the third, Michaud reached second with one out but was stranded. Lewiston then left the bases full in the fourth. Though Ali Coleman had scored by escaping a run down, Daigle got a pair of strikeouts to end the threat.

“You always want to add to the lead,” said Royer. “I thought they stranded runners, and we stranded runners. We just came up short.”

Skowhegan tied it in the fifth with a pair of runs on three errors – all with two outs. Steph Obert scored off an errant pick-off attempt. Then Vigue scored on an error on a Dudley bunt.

“It was one of those grind it out type of games,” said Johnson. “Finally we got some bunts down like we needed to because we definitely weren’t tearing the cover off the ball.”

kmills@sunjournal.com

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