By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Lauren Austin’s towering drive to left that soared foul must have prompted someone in the crowd to provide the proverbial “straighten it out” advice.

Austin did just that on her next swing in the top of the ninth inning on Wednesday. She straightened it out so far that she trucked around the bases for a two-run homer to lift Oxford Hills to a 3-1 victory over Lewiston.

“I was very excited,” said Austin of the foul rip. “It got me thinking, and I started focusing a lot more. I knew it was down to this, and something had to happen. We just needed something to just get us going. We knew we had it, but we just needed that little push.”

Austin’s drive to center was the lift both teams had been searching for. Both had left the bases full in the seventh inning and struggled to find that knockout punch.

“They have some good hitters,” said Lewiston coach Fred Royer. “The Austin girl and (Randi) Arsensault, they’re good power hitters, and they put a couple back-to-back there.”

After a nice running catch in right by Danielle Willey, the Vikings (9-3) got a two-out single from Arsenault. Austin followed with her two-run blow, her second hit of the game.

Arsenault put Lewiston down in the bottom of the inning, retiring six straight to end the game.

“She was really getting frustrated,” said Austin, the Vikings’ catcher. “We have a pretty good relationship. It’s definitely a duo there. I think her confidence with our offense went up as we got more confident with our hitting.”

Arsenault allowed five hits total, three after the first inning, and got out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh.

“I think Randi pitched a great game,” said Oxford Hills coach Cindy Goddard. “She got better. She tends to do better later in the game. “

Lewiston’s Amanda Michaud allowed just two hits through the first six innings, but the Vikings managed to produce seven hits in the last three.

“(Arsenault) is a real good pitcher,” said Royer. “Both Michaud and Arsenault battled in a classic matchup.”

The Blue Devils (6-6) took a 1-0 lead in the first when Allie Morin scored on a two-base error on an Ali Coleman grounder. The Vikings managed to escape the inning thanks to a nice relay from Samantha Dolloff in right to Annie Foster at second. She got the ball to Austin at the plate to nix Kim Bechard, who tried to score on a Jess Nadeau hit. Morin and Nadeau each had two hits for Lewiston.

Neither team mustered much offense until the seventh. The Vikings got singles from Darcy Herrick and Cori Runes. After a sacrifice by Foster and a walk, Amber Millett had an infield hit that tied it.

“We’ve been a team that usually takes a couple of innings to figure out what the pitcher’s pitching,” said Goddard. “Usually it’s the bottom of our batting order that gets things started.”

Though Oxford Hills had runners at second and third with one out in the seventh, the Vikings could only tie it. Michaud got a strike out, and the Blue Devils barely got Arsenault on a nibbler to first that was bobbled.

Lewiston had a chance to win in the bottom of the inning with two walks and an infield hit by Danielle Mercier. Arsenault got a called third strike to end that treat.

“We got a little more confidence as the game went on,” said Austin. “We had a rough start in the first inning, but we picked it up a lot.”