By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

SOUTH PARIS – Cindy Goddard probably hoped she was wrong.

As Friday’s Eastern A quarterfinal progressed, she could sense Skowhegan’s bats might make something happen. It was a feeling she wasn’t getting from her own hitters.

“We were feeling like We’re not going to hit against this team,'” said Goddard. “Usually, by the second time around, we start getting more comfortable.

“The second time around didn’t look any better than the first time around.”

Though the Indians didn’t bust out offensively, they still mustered enough to produce a 1-0 win.

Emily Hodgdon’s infield hit plated the only run and Mariah Daigle struck out 17 batters to lift the Indians (13-5) to the semifinals.

“I knew she was an effective pitcher,” said Goddard. “From what I heard, she survives on the outside corner. Today, she had a nice rise, and she just kept us off balance.”

The Vikings (14-3) only produced three hits. Tia Pratt had a bunt hit and Emmylou Blake had an infield hit. Only Diann Ramsey managed to single out of the infield. Molly Dow and Jen Schnoor each drew walks, but the Vikings could never put any kind of threat together until the final inning.

“We weren’t even making foul ball contact,” said Goddard.

Skowhegan, on the other hand, produced seven hits off Vikings pitcher Jen Jurczak. The Indians had two hits in three different innings and started to feel good about their chances of generating baserunners.

“As the game went on, the confidence was definitely building,” said Hodgdon. “Usually, once we get a hit, we start hitting more and more.”

Skowhegan had back-to-back hits in the second and third innings with two outs but failed to score.

“For them, it was just a matter of time,” said Goddard. “They were making contact. They were going to make something happen. They had a lot more pressure than we did.”

In the fifth, Crystal Johnson singled and advanced on a pair of wild pitches. Jurczak got a strike out. After Laura Dudley failed to drop a squeeze bunt, she popped out to Schnoor at third. Hodgdon foiled the Vikings’ hopes of escaping the inning. Her bloop hit landed behind the pitcher’s mound. Neither Jurczak, Ramsey or Pratt could get to it to throw her out, allowing pinch-runner Caitlyn Lancaster to score from third.

“At first, I felt it hit the bat, and it didn’t feel right, but it went right in the spot where nobody could get at it,” said Hodgdon. “I was pretty happy.”

The Vikings had one last chance in the seventh. Blake reached on an infield hit. Molly Dow’s sacrifice moved the runner along, but Daigle struck out the final two batters.

“I knew I had to buckle down and get the next two batters out or they were going to make something happen,” said Daigle. “There was a little pressure, but I don’t mind pressure. I just have to breathe.”