Bucs don’t stop

Georges Valley came into the season as favorites to repeat in Western Maine Class C and challenge for a second straight state title, and thus far, the Bucs have not disappointed.

The Bucks outscored opponents 84-13 through its first eight games. That included two tests in the last week against two teams hoping to challenge the Bucs for the regional crown.

Georges Valley beat Monmouth 12-0 last week, getting four early runs off pitcher Jill Armstrong. She was substituting for injured starter Brittany Hilton.

Then when Armstrong’s knee swelled up and had to come out, the Bucs padded the lead.

Though the Mustangs didn’t field a team at full strength, the Bucs rode its balanced offense and strong pitching from Danielle Frye, who has three no-hitters this season.

“You can’t take anything away from Georges Valley,” said Monmouth coach Rachel Bernier. “They were up for it. They’re a good hitting team. They had some nice hits.”

A week later, the Bucs beat Telstar, 3-2, when Ashley Geel singled in two runs in the fifth to help Georges Valley rally from a 2-0- deficit.

“I’m pleased overall,” said Telstar coach Jim Lunney. “This a quality team. We knew that they’re a good hitting team. We’ll probably see them a couple more times this year.”

The Rebels and Bucs are developing a good rivalry. Georges Valley ended Telstar’s pefect record to end the regular season last year. The Rebels beat the Buc in the MVC game before losing in the regional final.

“I was nervous all weekend,” said Geel of the anticipated regular season showdown Monday. “It’s nerve-wracking. We were all nervous about it during the day. They’re good competition and we were ready to play.”

Young and restless

Oxford Hills is unusually young this season. Only catcher Mindy Rugg is a returning starter in the same position as last year. Still, the Vikings were able to overcome its youthfulness to start the year 5-2. This week, they toppled Cony, a team ranked third in the most recent Eastern A standings. The Vikings lost to the Rams last week 8-4 but beat them 6-3 at home.

“I’m glad that we’ve gotten the wins that we got,” said Oxford Hills coach Cindy Goddard. “90 percent of those could have gone either way.”

The Vikings only losses have been Cony, Skowhegan and Lewiston. Oxford Hills is riding the arms of two new pitchers Kristy Jurczak and Megan Gauger. Teira Durgin and EmmyLou Blake are the only regulars returning. Durgin has moved to third while Blake is at first.

The inexperience has shown at times in the field but the bats have shown promise.

“We’ve given up four or five runs every game,” said Goddard. “So we have to produce on the other end.”

Great Greyhounds

Lisbon is already well on its way to surpassing its record of last year. The Greyhounds went 9-5 and finished seventh in Western B. Lisbon is currently 7-1 and ranked fourth. The last time the Greyhounds had double-digit wins or were ranked this high was a 12-4 record and fourth-place seeding in 1997.

Pitcher Emily Moore is on top of her game and catcher Christie McAuliffe, second baseman Vicki Osmond and third baseman Sam Purcell are all returning starters. Lisbon is coming off a strong showing in a 1-0 win over Madison Wednesday, but have the biggest tests to come with a game at Georges Valley Friday and at Telstar two weeks later.

“Georges Valley is still going to be the toughest,” said Osmond. “Then we have Telstar too. Madison was a big win. We knew they were going to be a tough team. They always are.”

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Monday, May 19

Erskine at Oak Hill, 4:15 p.m.

The Raiders have roared out to a 6-1 start and just blanked their rivals from Maranacook. The Eagles are in the playoff hunt in Eastern B.

Jay at Hall-Dale, 4:30 p.m.

The Tigers are fifth in Western C and the Bulldogs are eighth. Both teams have played other foes tough. This could be nailbiter and a valuable win for the victor.

Wednesday, May 21

Madison at Monmouth, 4:30 p.m.

A rematch of the Western C final in girls’ basketball. Both squads have many of the same athletes on the softball field. Both teams need the Heal Points to bolster their standing.

Cape Elizabeth at St. Dom’s, 4 p.m.

The Capers have been one of the Western B powerhouses in recent years and are currently second. It

should be a good test of the Saints.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jill Armstrong, Monmouth Academy, senior pitcher

When Monmouth Academy needed a last-minute pitcher, they summoned third baseman Jill Armstrong. The senior hadn’t started since her freshman year, but with ace Brittany Hilton ailing, Armstrong had to fill in. Armstrong pitched a two-hit shutout of Lisbon in her first start and struck out 11. She gutted out four innings against Georges Valley and eventually left the game with a knee injury. She returned the next day to pitch the Mustangs to a 10-3 win over Mountain Valley. She allowed just three hits and struck out seven.