POLAND — Poland pitcher Atlantis Martin stayed steady in the circle throughout the Knights’ senior game Friday.
Martin, a senior, allowed only one run and struck out six batters in Poland’s 11-1 five-inning softball victory over Gray-New Gloucester.
“She does her job for us consistently,” Poland coach Katrina Seeley said of Martin, who pitched all five innings. “She’s a senior, she knows what she needs to do, and regardless of the ball getting hit at her she is able to get the out.”
The Patriots (4-12) tested Martin and the Knights (14-1) right off the bat, loading the bases with one out in the top of the first inning.
Martin then got a strikeout and ground out to escape the inning as calmly as she entered it.
“I wasn’t thinking, really, anything,” Martin said. “I am not too worried if the bases are loaded. I have trust in my defense behind me, so I am not too worried.”
Poland took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Gretchyn Paradis scored from second base on a single by Khloe O’Leary. The single advanced Paradis to third, and then she ran home while O’Leary was caught in a rundown between first and second.
After a 1-2-3 inning by Martin in the top half of the second, Poland loaded the bases with three consecutive walks in the bottom half of the inning. Then, a wild pitch to Sydney Lacombe allowed Emma Gagne to score from third, putting the Knights up two runs.
Later in the inning, O’Leary drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Maggie McGlauflin and pushed Poland’s advantage to 3-0.
Gray-New Gloucester countered with its lone run of the game in the top of the third.
Maisie Lerrette led off with a triple and scored on a fielder’s choice in the next at-bat by Heather Nevells.
The Knights didn’t score in their half of the the third. While they were holding a 3-1 lead, Seeley didn’t believe the team was playing to its potential.
“It was not our top performance of the year, we weren’t as disciplined in the box as we needed to be,” Seeley said. “As the game went on, we were more disciplined and did the things we needed to. The seniors talked to them before the bottom of the fourth, and I think that was enough to get some energy in the dugout again, to liven up everyone and to swing the bat and hit the ball, or get walked.”
In the fourth, Paradis scored on Olivia Rioux’s single. That was followed by RBI doubles from a pair of seniors, Emma Bunyea and Martin, to put the Knights’ lead at 6-1.
Poland scored five more runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by triples by Paradis and Rioux.
Gray-New Gloucester pitcher Caitlin Taylor pitched all five innings. Patriots coach Darcey Gardiner said Taylor did “exactly what she was supposed to do.”
“Our thing is, I don’t care about the 11 on the scoreboard, I care about the one,” Gardiner said. “When we go out and do our job offensively, it really flows nice into our defense. I thought today that our defense had a couple plays that could have helped our pitcher a little more, but, to be in the game against a quality team like this one, those first three innings are where we wanted to be.”
Lerrette followed up her triple in the third inning for the Patriots with a double in the fifth, the only player on the team with multiple hits.
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