AUBURN — Lewiston couldn’t capitalize Edward Little’s errors in the first three innings, and it looked like they might pay for it.

In the sixth, though, Lewiston took advantage of the Eddies’ defensive mistakes in a 2-1 victory in the Battle of the Bridge softball game at Auburn Suburban Little League.

EL had five errors in the game.

Lewiston swept the regular-season series after taking first matchup 5-3 on May 5.

“We had great pitching and great defense. The girls came to play today,” Lewiston coach Mike Childs said. “We’ve had a rough second half, but they’ve battled all season long. This was big, and we got great pitching today and great defense. The girls came through when they needed it.”

The win moved Lewiston to 8-8 and up to seventh in the Class A North standings. If that holds, the Devils will host a preliminary round game.

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Like the Blue Devils, who were 1-6 in their past seven games, EL has been struggling down the stretch, too.

“We have to make plays. We didn’t make the plays we had to make,” EL coach Elaine Derosby said. “We didn’t get the hits the hits we needed to have today. It wasn’t one of our better showings, but the good part of it, the season is over and we get to start over. We get to refocus and we got to go. Now, it’s do or die. We (have) to get refocused.”

EL finished the regular season 11-5 and went 2-2 in their final four games. They are currently the third seed in Northern Class A.

After the first four-and-a-half innings went scoreless, EL broke the deadlock in the bottom of the fifth. Karli Stubbs reached on an error and she was lifted for courtesy runner Sarah Sterling. She moved to third on two productive outs, and Emma Lashua drove her home with a single to center field. Lashua moved to third on the play as Lewiston center fielder Kallie May mishandled the ball. Lewiston starter Megan Theriault was able to get Jordyn Reynolds to pop out to get out of the inning.

Theriault helped her own cause in the sixth when she led off with a single. She reached third on back-to-back errors by the Red Eddies that put Jordan Mynahan and Megan Gosselin on base. With the bases loaded, Danielle Cyr knocked in Theriault with a single into left field. Mynahan scored from third on a hard-hit ground ball to third.

“When you make errors, you give another batter a chance,” Derosby said. “The more batters you give a chance, the top of the order of a really good hitting team comes to the plate. We can’t give them that many chances. We made some plays, Sarah (Hammond) pitched well. I would say defensively it wasn’t or best performance, but it wasn’t our worse performance of the season by any means.”

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Hammond got out of the jam when she got Aleshia Gregoire to fly out and Alison Porter to strike out looking.

“Maybe not concerned, but I knew we were just in the ball game,” Childs said of not capitalizing early on in the game. “Coach Derosby is a (heck) of a coach. I know anytime when you are going to play against one of her teams, you got to be prepared for everything you get. I just told the girls, stay in the game and maybe we will get lucky later in the game, that’s what happen.”

Theriault closed out the game strong as she sat down the final six batters in order, including striking out Olivia Jensen to end the game. She had three strikeouts, only allowing four hits and walking one.

“I was really hitting my corners and all my junk was working today, so that really helped” Theriault said.

Childs lets his pitchers pitch, and knew Theiault had her best stuff.

“She just pitched a heck of a game,” Childs said. “It’s the second time she’s beaten them. She pretty much knows them and respects them. The thing of it is I don’t call the pitches, but I know she was there. She was on the corners and she was doing a heck of a job. I am so proud of these girls, I am lost for words. We are getting ready for the playoffs now. Where ever we are seeded we will get ready.”

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Theriault said she felt like the Red Eddies started to time her up in the the bottom of the fourth when Reynolds led the inning with a walk. Hammond laid a perfect drag bunt in which Theriault couldn’t make a play. Kylie Bureau put the sweet spot of the bat on the ball, which went through a hole on the left side of the infield, but hit Reynolds as she was going to third to record the the first out. Theriault settled down and got the next two batters out.

“That right there, it wasn’t our day, if that gets through Jordan might score or the bases loaded at least,” Derosby said. “Maybe we can do some things. We had it set up perfectly with no outs and runners on first and second. That’s the way of the game. We can’t let the luck or the bounces or those things control what we do.”

Hammond was also outstanding, striking out six and walking two while allowing three hits.

nfournier@sunjournal.com


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