Softball: Oxford Hills avenges only loss with victory over Edward Little

PARIS — Big hits by Kyeria Morse and Atalie Campbell highlighted a six-run second inning that helped Oxford Hills avenge its only loss of the softball season with a 6-2 win over Edward Little on Friday.

The last time the two teams met, just over a week ago, the Red Eddies (4-4) came out on top 7-5.

“I think we had a winning mindset going into it,” Campbell said about the difference between Friday’s game and the first matchup on April 22. “I think we didn’t underestimate them this time. We had a lot of confidence up to the plate this time and it really helped. It really pushed us to get the win.”

The second inning scoring for the Vikings (6-1) — ranked fifth in the Varsity Maine softball poll — was kicked off by Samantha McPhail’s RBI single that brought home Maddy Miller for the first run of the game. Campbell singled home McPhail and Cameron Mayhan and later scored when Gigi DeVivo reached on an error.

Morse finished off the big inning with a two-run home run to center field that gave Oxford Hills a 6-0 lead.

“Everybody was up, everybody was so excited, and we knew we had the game,” Campbell said.

Oxford Hills coach Cindy Goddard said that playing a competitive opponent like Edward Little is “always fun,” and she thought the Vikings rose to the occasion and “took care of business early on.”

She also said replacing Morse with Cameron Mayhan in the circle in the sixth inning helped the Vikings limit hits by the Red Eddies.

“We probably didn’t change pitchers early enough,” Goddard said about the April 22 loss. “They got a couple more hits and then they got momentum shifted in that direction and they got some good hits. I think giving that change of pace for batters, they kind of get used to something the second or third time around, and just changing that makes a difference.”

Kassidy Lobb hit a big home run off Morse in the sixth that also scored Tiana Avila and cut Oxford Hills’ lead to 6-2.

“She’s a great hitter,” Edward Little coach Elaine Derosby said about Lobb. “She’s got a powerful swing. We’ve talked a lot about hitting in certain situations, and she’s buying into that and she got her pitch. We’re talking about getting your pitch early in the count, and she got her pitch and she hit a line drive, and got on top.”

Red Eddies catcher Naomi Valcin was the only repeater hitter on Friday, tallying a double in the top of the fifth inning and a single in the seventh inning.

Derosby said Edward Little just “did not have enough innings today,” knowing the Vikings would come out strong just as they did the last time the two teams faced each other.

“My kids battled today. We got down in the past, and they may have said they were young, and they may have said, ‘This is going to be really tough,’ but today, they just kept going,” Derosby said. “They believed in the process, they were loud in the dugout — even when we got down — and that hadn’t happened earlier this week. We talked and they just kept going and we put the ball in play a lot today.”

The Red Eddies didn’t allow another run after Oxford Hills’ six-run second inning.

“You’ve still got to stay on the gas pedal,” Morse said. “You’ve still got to keep going even though it’s a relief, like, you still have to keep going. You can’t let up, because if you let up then that’s when they get to you.”

Morse said that Edward Little challenged her pitching with a couple of solid batters at the plate, which required her to “work around and see the weaknesses and find the weak spot,” in order to prevent hits and base runs.

Goddard said Morse played well and pitched with “good power” during her 5 1/3 innings in the circle.

“She had control of the game,” Goddard said. “I think we’ve found sometimes that teams have started to hit her, and then, we just find that we need to change the pace. Sometimes that’s what you do, and Mayhan came in and gave us a change of pace.”

Morse said she’s more proud of her hitting than her pitching at Friday’s game, because hitting is something she’s struggled with this season.

“Last year, I just stepped on the pedal right away,” Morse said. “But I think this year, I was a little bit off, so I was still getting hits, but I definitely wasn’t being the best I could be. I think I definitely stepped up a little bit more.”

Morse and Campbell are both sophomores, and credited a growth in confidence as the biggest uptick in their level of play between this season and last season.

“I’d say having the courage to play in more, I don’t I normally hang out in the pocket but through encouragement I’ve really felt a lot more confident in the field and where I am,” Mayhan said. “This season has been tough for me in the beginning, but after a few games into it, I felt really comfortable. My teammates have been helping me and supporting me, and it’s been really good, so I didn’t even feel nervous. They helped me a bunch.”