STANDISH – Lindsy Hoopingarner got up Wednesday morning with an urge to hit a softball.

With her Richmond softball team hoping for an elusive Western D title, the sophomore catcher was determined to do her part.

“I woke up this morning thinking that I’m going to hit the ball,” said Hoopingarner. “I said that I was going to get some good hits. When I went up to Buckfield, I think I was like 0-for-3 in the first five innings. So, coming into this game, I was like ‘I have to hit the ball for my team.'”

Hoopingarner did just that and a few more Bobcats obviously woke up thinking the same thing. Richmond managed to outslug Buckfield to claim the Western D title with a 6-2 win at Ward Park at Saint Joseph’s College.

Richmond hadn’t beaten the Bucks for the regional title since 2005, and it was just the Bobcats third win over the Bucks in 10 tries in the regional final. Richmond plays in the Class D state game Saturday at Coffin Field in Brewer at 11 a.m.

“We haven’t beaten them in like five years,” said Hoopingarner. “It feels great to beat them. Beating them in Western Maine’s is a big deal for us.”

The loss ends the Bucks reign of four straight Western D titles and ends their hopes of avenging last year’s loss in the state game.

“It was a good game,” said Buckfield coach Ken Farrington. “It was the game I expected. The girls are disappointed. They want to win them all, but you can’t win them all.”

Hoopingarner finished with three hits and three RBI for Richmond (15-1). Ciarra Lancaster added three hits while batting in the ninth spot.

“I was thinking all I had to do is make contact,” said Hoopingarner. “If it’s good solid contact, things will happen my way.”

Richmond was seeing Buckfield pitcher Heather Clavet for the first time. The junior allowed 10 hits and walked just two, but the Bobcats were able to get some extra base hits and clutch at bats.

“They had some good hits and got those doubles and triples,” said Farrington, whose other pitcher, Brittany Wiley, had pitched both regular season games, a 6-5 win and an 8-7 Buckfield loss. “For a while, it was a defensive game. They got some timely hits.”

Meanwhile, the Bucks couldn’t get much going against freshman Jamie Plummer. Richmond coach Rick Coughlin opted for Plummer over sophomore Leandra Martin, who has been battling a pair of knees injuries that limit her mobility. Plummer scattered seven hits and walked just one.

“I only put her in there because I knew Buckfield would have bunted Leandra to death,” said Coughlin. “She can’t get it, and Jamie was making all those plays. We told Jaime to take it as far as she could and Leandra was ready to come in. I’d never believe that a freshman would go seven innings in a Western Maine final.”

With the game tied, the Bobcats opened the lead in the fifth with four runs on four hits and one Bucks’ error. Lancaster started it off with a triple. Danica Hurley’s bunt single scored the go-ahead run. After a Tara Hurley hit, Hoopingarner singled in two for a 4-1 lead. She later came around on a Danielle Bunikis bunt for a 5-1 lead.

“We had a couple of mental miscues,” said Farrington.

Richmond padded the lead in the sixth when Tara Hurley’s single scored Lancaster, who tripled with one out.

Buckfield got one back in the seventh when Abby Bragg singled in  Wiley. The Bucks had two runners on with two out, but Plummer got a liner to Danica Hurley at short to end the game. The Bucks had a pair of hits in four different innings and stranded four.

“We just couldn’t get something to go with it,” said Farrington. “The timely hits, those are always something that will come back to get you. We just couldn’t get the timely hits.”

Bragg finished with two hits for Buckfield (13-3)

Buckfield took the 1-0 lead in the first when Wiley’s flyout to right scored Ashlee Hamann, who singled with one out. The Bobcats managed to get out of a jam in that inning by picking off a runner at first to end the inning. In the bottom of the inning, Richmond tied it when Hoopingarner singled in Tara Hurley.

Richmond had a great chance to take the lead in the second. A single by Lancaster had Morgan Rines racing for home from second with two outs. A throw by Danielle Patrie from shallow left was on the mark to Bragg behind the plate to tag Rines out to end the inning.

The Bobcat defense  came through in the fifth to squelch a Buckfield threat. With one out, Clavet doubled. Bragg followed with an infield hit. Bunikis made a nice stop on the hit at third  but couldn’t get Bragg in time. First baseman Briana Snedker relayed the throw back to third and nailed Clavet trying to advance.

“That’s what we had to do,” said Coughlin of his team’s defense. “In Richmond, they made six errors and we won. In Buckfield, we made six errors and they won. We made some great plays and everyone contributed.”

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