PARIS — Oxfords Hills relief pitcher Cameron Mayhan anxiously entered the circle knowing Brunswick just loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh inning.
But the freshman, a designated hitter who hadn’t thrown much all season due to an injury, watched as her Vikings defense came to her aid. The top-ranked Vikings’ narrow 2-0 victory over the fifth-ranked Dragons held up after three quick outs in a Class A North softball semifinal Saturday at the Gouin Athletic Field Complex.
Oxford Hills (17-1) will face third-ranked Skowhegan (16-2) in the regional final at the University of Maine in Orono on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
Vikings catcher Kaydence Morse and first baseman Charlotte McGreevy each caught a pop-up and Mayhan handled a grounder and the routine throw to first base to put a stop to the Dragons’ (11-7) attempt to score in that precarious seventh inning.
Mayhan was quick to point out that she was a bundle of nerves when she got the call to relieve freshman winning pitcher Kyeria Morse, who struggled through a downpour and walked three straight batters in the seventh. Morse ended up striking out 14 batters, walked six and gave up three hits for her second consecutive playoff win. She went the distance against Edward Little in a 7-0 quarterfinal win Friday.
“I was just very scared (coming on in relief); I was very nervous,” Mayhan said.
But she had confidence in her teammates to back her up and that steadied the young pitcher.
“Just trusting the people that I had behind me and trusting Kaydence catching for me,” Mayhan said. “I always trust my defense because I know that they trust me, so I have to trust them.”
Oxford Hills coach Cindy Goddard also trusted Mayhan to come in and close out Brunswick.
“The hard part with Cam is that she got injured kind of early on, so we really didn’t have her in our rotation,” Goddard said. “She is a good pitcher and we just needed a change of pace. She has a nice off-speed and she is just composed on the mound.”
Oxford Hills’ winning runs came in the fourth inning off losing pitcher Caitlin Seitz, who held the Vikings at bay for the first three innings.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Kyeria Morse got on with an error in the outfield. Morse was replaced by pinch runner Sam McPhail, who scored on McGreevy’s RBI single to make it 1-0. McGreevy was replaced by pinch runner Emma Cooper, who ended up at third base with the help of a stolen base and then scored on a passed ball.
“You’ve got to do something to change the tide,” Goddard said. “You just take advantage of one error. That is sometimes how it is. You get one error that gives up a run.
“But (Brunswick) was knocking at the door all day long. I felt like it was in their court a lot of the time. We were playing very defensive. I think the two runs helped us.”
Brunswick relief pitcher Ellie Sullivan came on in relief for Seitz and got the third out in the fourth and went the next two innings as Oxford Hills clung to a 2-0 lead. The Vikings did not commit an error and had four hits for the afternoon.
“The one thing I wanted to say is Oxford Hills has a wonderful program,” Brunswick coach Hugh Dwyer said. “I don’t think Cindy gets enough credit for that. This is my 10th year coaching varsity and she has a tough team every year. Hats off to them — they have a good team.”
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