By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

BUCKFIELD – The Sacopee Valley softball team wasn’t aware that Buckfield had cranked out 25 runs Friday afternoon.

Of course, it may not have mattered much to the Hawks.

With one of the state’s top hurlers, the Hawks have good reason to believe that Michelle Libby will silence most bats.

She did just that Saturday, allowing just three hits in a 12-0 win in six innings.

“Michelle hasn’t given up an earned run all year,” said Sacopee coach Tim Vacchiano. “She’s given up three runs on brutal mistakes by us. So we’re pretty stingy about what we give up. So if a team can get two or three hits in a row against Michelle, congratulations. If that’s what beats us in the end, I’ll take my hat off to them.”

Alyssa Henderson, Shayna Shackford and Dee Lavoie had the only hits off Libby, who struck out seven and walked none. The Bucks produced 25 runs and 17 hits Friday against Valley. By the time Buckfield (8-4) got a Henderson single in the third inning, it was already 8-0.

“We don’t get to see many teams like this,” said Buckfield coach Ken Farrington. “That hurts when you come up against someone like her. “We wanted to compete. We wanted to give them a good match.”

The Bucks were without starting pitcher Desiree Brackett due to ineligibility. She won’t be back in action until the end of next week. That forced freshman Kasey Farrington to face the defending Class C state champions.

“This was her first time pitching at the varsity level,” said Farrington.

Farrington gave up 10 hits, walked 10 and hit two batters. Though she nearly escaped a bases loaded jam in the first, the Hawks (10-1) got a 1-0 lead when she hit Brittany Murch with the bases loaded.

“She was in a tough spot,” said Vacchiano. “She got a big strikeout in the first inning and nearly got out of the inning. A couple of hit batters were key obviously, but for a freshman, she did a heck of a job. I give her a lot of credit.”

The Hawks got two more runs in the second. Katie Pike plated one with a fielder’s choice, and Libby singled in another. Sacopee broke the game open in the third with five runs. Pike singled in a pair while Kayla Crowley, Libby and Ann Marie Day all drove in runs.

“This is probably the best hitting game we’ve had this year,” said Vacchiano. “They hit more balls hard and more line drives than we have in any other game. I’m really impressed with that because I think we hit her harder than a lot of pitchers that weren’t as good as her. I was really excited to see that in the last week of the regular season.

Pike finished with three RBI while Katey Kimball and Libby each had three hits.