By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Jess Dumond likely couldn’t have found herself in a tougher spot Friday.

The Lewiston pitcher entered the game with the bases full and Oxford Hills threatening to break the game open.

Dumond did stellar work to keep her Blue Devils in the game, but as good as Lewiston’s pitcher was, the Viking tandem of Sam Dolloff and Jen Jurczak proved too much to beat.

Dolloff and Jurczak blanked Lewiston in a 4-0 victory. Dolloff allowed just two hits and four base runners in five innings. Jurczak gave up one hit and struck out four in two innings.

“I try to pitch them both each game if I can – unless someone’s got a no-hitter going,” said Oxford Hills coach Cindy Goddard.

“At this point, no one has struggled. So I haven’t had to say You’re struggling, come out.’ Instead, it’s Okay, you’ve pitched five innings now and time for someone else.'”

Lewiston (3-4) got back-to-back hits from Maria Labbe and Allie Morin in the second, but that was the most offense it could muster.

Morin reached on an error and had a hard hit ball caught in the outfield by Deanna Emery. Brittany Dube had the only other Lewiston hit.

The Vikings also got a nice diving catch from Diann Ramsey at short

“We left quite a few stranded on second base,” said Lewiston coach Fred Royer.

The Vikings (7-0) were on the verge of breaking the game open in the second, but Dumond escaped a jam and didn’t allow an earned run the rest of the way.

Dumond entered the action after Tia Pratt’s liner hit Lewiston starter Danielle Willey in the pitching arm.

Dumond, who had pitched in relief in just one game this season, had the bases full, one out and faced the heart of the Viking order.

“I knew what I had to do and that I needed to be there for my team,” said Dumond. “So I just went in and tried to do what I could for the team. Fortunately, the team around me helped get out of that inning.”

Dumond got an out at the plate when Ramsey hit it to third baseman Katie Cobb. A pop-out by Mindy Rugg ended the threat. Willey later returned to pinch-hit.

“She kept them off balance and kept the ball low,” said Royer, who got some solid defensive play in the field from Morin, Cobb and Kayla Michaud. “She did a very good job.”

Dumond didn’t allow a hit in five-plus innings but errors led to runs in the fourth and fifth. Dolloff scored in the fourth on a dropped fly in the outfield with two outs. Rugg, who reached on an error in the fifth, scored on a nice Megan Gauger bunt with two outs.

“We’re really good at making contact and putting the ball in play,” said Jen Schnoor, whose sacrifice in the fourth put Dolloff in scoring position.

Schnoor put the Vikings up 2-0 early in the second when her single up the middle plated Molly Dow and Gauger.

“It was nice contact – one of the better ones I’ve had,” said Schnoor. “It was awesome that they didn’t catch it.”

Schnoor and Ramsey had the only two Viking hits.