By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

SOUTH PARIS – Oxford Hills certainly had plenty of reason to be rattled.

Between falling behind, escaping threats and stranding a bundle of runners, the Vikings could have easily let the tension get to them Thursday. Instead, the pressure brought out their best.

The Vikings shrugged off another slow start and turned the tables in a 7-1 Eastern A quarterfinal victory over Lewiston.

“There were people on. Randi (Arsenault) hit two people, and she hasn’t hit anybody all season,” said Oxford Hills coach Cindy Goddard. “I was like Don’t get into this mode.'”

Despite getting down 1-0 and stranding six runners in the first few innings, the Vikings (14-4) scrapped their way back and brought their bats to life. The Vikings pounded out nine hits, while Arsenault finished with a one-hitter.

“We definitely are a fighting team,” said Arsenault. “We’re not going to overpower anybody, but we’ll keep fighting through the game to get hits and runs.”

Lewiston’s only hit came from Maria Labbe in the seventh. The Blue Devils (9-9) committed six errors, four in a span of three innings when the Vikings scored six runs.

“We played fantastic when we beat Skowhegan,” said Lewiston coach Fred Royer. “We had a continuation of the other day, but then we had a few mental and physical breakdowns.”

The Vikings came up empty with the bases loaded with one out in the first and stranded another runner in the second. After stopping a threat in the third, the Vikings tied it when Samantha Dolloff singled in Alyssa Snow.

“After that hit and we tied the game, the momentum definitely picked up,” said third baseman Natasha Dubois. “It gave us more of a jive. Once we get up, we normally stay up.”

The Vikings turned up the heat in the third. Three hits and two errors allowed Oxford Hills to take a 3-1 lead. Diann Ramsey reached on an error and scored on a Dubois single. Dubois advanced on a wild pitch and scored on an Arsenault squeeze bunt.

“I definitely felt like we had the upper hand in the game after that,” said Dubois.

Oxford Hills added three more in the fifth. Darcy Herrick singled in Dolloff. Annie Foster scored on a wild pitch, and Dubois scored on an error.

Molly Dow made it 7-1 in the sixth, scoring on a Dolloff grounder.

Dolloff and Jill Cole each had two hits for the Vikings.

Lewiston’s lone run came in the first. Amanda Michaud was hit by a pitch and scored on a Kim Bechard ground out. Only five Blue Devils reached base the rest of the game.

“I looked at the book and the hitting charts that we use before the game,” said Arsenault, who gave up six hits in the 3-1 regular season victory. “I saw who had gotten hits off of me and where they had gone. I used that to try to help with pitch selection.”