GRAY — After laying her bat on it, Alex Thompson barely caught sight of the ball — not at least until after she had touched home and delivered a critical blow in Friday’s Western B quarterfinal.

Thompson’s sinking liner to left not only led to one error, but two, and Gray-New Gloucester’s freshman outfielder scampered all the way home to break a scoreless tie.

“I just kept running,” said Thompson. “I hit it, and they just sent me. I just looked and the ball was (loose) and he just sent me.”

With Oak Hill reeling, the Patriots added two more in the bottom of that sixth inning and went on to blank the Raiders in a 3-0 tourney win. The Patriots (15-2) advance to Saturday’s Western B semifinal against top-ranked Fryeburg in a rematch of last year’s regional final. GNG handed the Raiders their lone loss of the regular season and split with the two-time defending Class B state champs.

GNG’ pitcher Laura Getchell hurled a two-hitter and struck out 14, including 10 of the first 14 Oak Hill batters she faced.

“I didn’t really know anything about them,” Getchell said. “So we were just kind of winging it, but that’s kind of what I do all summer long. I don’t know anything about the opposing teams. They’re from all over New England. You just go in with an open mind and be cautious with the meat of their order and hit your spots.”

Oak Hill’s only hits came from freshmen Alyssa Rouleau and Kortni Michaud. The Raiders had runners at third on three different occasions, but stranded them each time.

“Our young players stepped up at the plate,” said Oak Hill coach Julie Boucher, who graduates only first baseman Sarah Albert. “They were offensive powers. Alyssa and Kortni are both freshmen. Seeing that was pretty important for our team and our program, but we just didn’t hit. We got some here and there, but we needed to be swinging at strikes.”

With the game still scoreless in the bottom of the sixth, Thompson came to bat knowing she needed to make something happen, especially with the heart of the Patriot order to follow.

“It was really nerve-wracking,” Thompson said. “When I went up, honestly, I was scared, but it felt really good after. After I came home, we got it going.”

Her sinking liner fell in front of the leftfielder and subsequently got behind her. Thompson raced to second on the error, but when the throw back to the infield went to nobody in particular, the ball rolled across the diamond while Thompson raced two bases to get home.  Getchell followed and reached on an error. She scored on a Abby Ryan triple. When that was booted in the outfield, Ryan also scored to make it 3-0.

Oak Hill (13-4) had the early chances to strike first.  Albert walked in the first and reached third on a stolen base and wild pitch. She was stranded there when Getchell struck out the next two batters.

“We watched a lot of strikes go by,” said Boucher. “We didn’t swing the bat. Against that pitcher, her confidence rises every time. We knew going in that we had to do that. I don’t know why we froze. It was nerves, I’m sure.”

In the fourth third, Rouleau singled and reached third on a two-base error. Getchell again, struck out the next two to end the inning.

“It’s just one of those situations where you throw one pitch at a time,” said Getchell. “You look at the batter, you get the signal  and throw it and then deal with whatever comes after that.”

 Taylor Fillion drew a lead-off walk in the fourth but pinch runner Brooke LeBel was thrown out by Wilkins trying to steal. In the fifth, Oak Hill had its best chance when Michaud led off with a triple. Abby Goulet followed with a nice bunt, but Getchell pounced on it quickly and got the ball home. Wilkins blocked the plate and put the tag on Michaud to preserve the scoreless tie.

“I’m very lucky that my third baseman (Kassie Wilson) has a loud mouth, and she was right on it,” said Getchell. “She was yelling ‘Four, four, four’ and I knew right where to go with it. I could kind of see out of the corner of my eye, but she was yelling. Kudos to Kassie on that one.”

Goulet then stole second, but was stranded there, and the Raiders never had another baserunner.

“They were just right on it,” Boucher said. “They knew to go home with it. Kortni did a good job getting there. She knew what was happening and she was right off at third. She got a good jump, but they were just on it.”

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