Lewiston’s Jordan Mynahan slides into home base for the run as Edward Little’s Hannah Smith fails to tag her out during Monday afternoon’s matchup at Bates College. (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal File Photo)

The schedule-makers can be cruel, and the schedule-makers can be kind.

They were both to the Lewiston softball team this season.

“We’ve had a pretty tough start. Bangor, Skowhegan, (Edward Little),” Blue Devils coach Mike Child said. “I mean, c’mon now, can’t start I don’t think any tougher than that, and to be coming out 2-1 with some of the things we’ve had to go through … we’re going to be okay.”

The Blue Devils had to face the Nos. 4, 1 and 2 teams in Class A North last season, but on the bright side they saw all three at home.

Now, thanks to the weather, Lewiston will play its first four games at home (after an away game at Brunswick had to get rescheduled), and five of its first six. The Blue Devils will then be on the road for four games after that.

Setting a pace

The message from Edward Little coach Elaine Derosby was the same before and after her team’s loss to rival Lewiston on Monday.

“This is not a sprint season, it’s a marathon season,” Derosby told her team before a 6-0 loss — the Red Eddies’ first defeat in three games to start the season.

Derosby reiterated after the game that “it’s a long season.”

“We’re a young team trying to figure ourselves out. I’ve been told I have to stop using that as an excuse, but we got to give them a little bit,” Derosby said. “We’ve got to feed them enough mentally that says ‘this is not a sprint, this game is just a piece of our lesson to where we want to be in the end, and we’ve got to take things from it and grow.'”

Taking on all comers

All fingers were pointed at Skowhegan as the team to beat by other Class A North coaches before the season. The Indians made good on those prognostications through their first two games, allowing just two combined hits and one run in wins over Lewiston and Bangor — playoff teams from a year ago.

The Indians, defending regional champions, know they have the target on their back. Head coach Lee Johnson said it’s “always” there.

“We talk about it a ton,” Johnson said.

Delayed duel

Monmouth and Madison will have to wait a little longer to renew their softball rivalry.

The Mustangs and Bulldogs were scheduled to meet Wednesday, but rain forced the game to be postponed until Thursday. Then an ongoing manhunt in the Madison region caused the game to get pushed back again, to Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.

Out-classed

Just a couple weeks into the season a few teams have already proven that a higher class doesn’t always equate to a stronger team. There have already been instances of a lower-class team beating a higher-class team at all three of the lower classes.

Class D Buckfield beat Class C Old Orchard Beach, Class C Sacopee Valley beat Class B Poland, and Class B Winslow beat Class A Messalonskee — all on the same day (Monday).

With more crossover games scheduled this year there’s a good chance those won’t be the only three instances this season.

wkramlich@sunjournal.com

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