RUMFORD — Dirigo pitcher Grace Robbins never thought about handing the ball over to a reliever after Mountain Valley loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Robbins recorded her sixth, and perhaps her most important, strikeout to hand-deliver a 5-3 victory over neighboring rival Mountain Valley and end the regular season on a high note Wednesday at Hosmer Field.
Dirigo (9-4) heads into the postseason on a three-game winning streak.
Robbins, who gave up nine hits, was determined finish the job in the circle.
“I love pitching,” Robbins said. “We have a freshman with a lot of talent and I have a lot of faith in her, but when this is my last regular season game, I really wanted to go the distance.”
“She just passed 2oo strikeouts last game against Lisbon,” Dirigo coach Scott Robbins said. “I think that is pretty remarkable. Hopefully, we are kind of peeking right now.”
The bottom of the seventh inning really put the squeeze on Robbins and the Cougars. The Falcons (4-12) scored their third run of the the game in the bottom the seventh when Layce Boucher doubled and came home on a fielder’s choice.
Mallorie Bourret, Emma Clukey and Brooke Brown also had hits in seventh to load the bases for Mountain Valley, but thanks to solid infield play and Robbins keeping her cool, the Cougars secured the victory after the seventh-inning scare.
“It is always a tough game in the heat, for sure,” Scott Robbins said. “Our girls battled right till the end. Mountain Valley is a formidable opponent. I know they haven’t had a great season, but when it comes to playing a rival, they give us everything we can handle. So great game with them.
“Our girls stay poised in the heat, and I told them we need to play this like a playoff game because it is playoffs from here on out.”
Dirigo struck first in the top of the first inning. Jayce Brophy reached on an error and Lana Waite singled, then both of them came home when Kallie Errington got on due to an error, giving Dirigo a 2-0 lead.
The Falcons got on the scoreboard in the third inning when Brooke Bennett stole home.
The Cougars delivered three runs in the in the top of the fourth inning. Pinch hitter Layla Merrill walked and moved to second and third base on a stolen base and Marissa Lapointe’s walk. Merrill came home on Brophy’s fielder’s choice. Waite brought home Brophy and Lapointe with a two-run double, increasing Dirigo’s lead to 5-1.
Mountain Valley got one more run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ali Mazza singled and eventually scored on Maisy Chase’s RBI groundout.
“We missed a couple of big hits, but we still stayed in the game all the time,” Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. “I am just proud of them from start to finish. We stayed right there.”
The Falcons won three of their final five games but likely will fall a little short of earning a postseason berth.
“We needed that one to get in,” Dolloff said. “That’s my belief, anyway.”
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