LEWISTON — Naomi Valcin didn’t let the cold and windy conditions slow her down early on.
The sophomore who recently moved to Maine from Florida had a home run, an RBI single and a sacrifice fly in Edward Little’s 14-0, five-inning KVAC softball victory over Lewiston on Wednesday.
“It was very hard to play in this weather,” Valcin said. “I couldn’t move after the fourth inning, so it was hard.”
Valcin led off the top of the second with a rope down the left-field line for an inside-the-park homer to give the Red Eddies (3-1) a 1-0 lead.
“That pitch; it was where I wanted it, so I took it,” Valcin said. “I knew I had the speed to get there. The other team got it in pretty quick, so I am glad I beat it.”
Edward Little coach Elaine Derosby said Valcin has quickly fit in.
“She has some of the most knowledgeable pieces that have nothing to do with skill, just the game itself and her instincts,” Derosby said. “She’s also a really good teammate and the girls really welcomed her and all of our newbies into our family.”
Emily Horton drove in a run on a fielder’s choice and Kassidy Lobb had a sac fly later in the inning for a 3-0 lead.
Tiana Avila started the third inning with a double and moved to third on a passed ball. She scored on Valcin’s single that got caught up in the wind.
“Brutal conditions, brutal conditions,” Lewiston coach Ryan Cormier said. “The wind just picked up. But tip your hat to EL, they got the bat on the ball with the wind and everything.”
The Red Eddies scored two more in the inning on a passed ball, while a Leah Thibodeau single scored another run for a 7-0 lead.
“Our courtesy runners and pinch runners made some huge 120 (foot) runs today instead of 60,” Derosby said. “All four games have been a team effort, and we used our full roster to be the most successful we can be.”
Lewiston’s (2-2) bats got going in the bottom of the third after an Aubrey Wood walk. Juliet Philippon and Aubrey Peer singled to load the bases with one out. However, Edward Little pitcher Chloe LeBlanc struck out a pair of batters to end the inning.
“That was very nerve-wracking, but I am glad with the outcome,” LeBlanc said of the bases loaded.
Cormier liked how the Blue Devils were aggressive in the situation.
“We were swinging the bat though,” Cormier said. “My girls weren’t sitting in the box. There were a couple of inside pitches that got to us, but I am pleased with the way my girls played tonight.”
LeBlanc struck out two more batters in the bottom of the fourth. She went all five innings, striking out eight and allowing three hits.
“She’s a freshman facing not her age group and she did a good job in our opener,” Derosby said. “We came back with her today and she’s really focused.”
In the top of the fifth, Horton had an RBI single and Lobb’s two-run single gave the Red Eddies a 10-0 lead. Avila and Kylie Lebrun each had an RBI single to extend the lead to 12-0. Valcin had a sac fly and a run came in on an error for a 14-0 lead.
Edward Little wanted to make sure the game didn’t get past the fifth inning with the cold conditions.
“Everyone was like, let’s get to 10 runs,” Valcin said. “Hold them, we want to go home — it’s cold.”
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