AUBURN — Lewiston is staying alive in the Babe Ruth softball 12U state tournament.

Lewiston defeated Turner 12-7 on Saturday at Auburn Suburban’s Sweetser Field. Lewiston moves on to play Sunday at 12 p.m.

“The girls played a great game, they kept fighting throughout and we made some good plays in the field,” Lewiston coach Eldon Tapley said. “We gave away some runs here and there. But all-in-all the girls strung it together. It was a good performance.”

Turner’s tournament comes to an end, as it was the team’s second loss in the double-elimination tournament.

Turner coach Randy Poulin said he liked how the girls played after losing to Lewiston 16-1 on Friday in both teams’ first game of the tournament.

“When we first played them, they beat us by even more,” Poulin said. “It was a great game; we came in striking distance (today). It was a rough outing in our first game, but that’s why we are so happy with this game. Like I said, we were in striking distance.”

Poulin said his team improved in each game it played over the first two days of the tournament.

Chloe Croteau started Lewiston off in the top of the first with a single and scored on a fielder’s choice for a 1-0 lead.

Piper Croteau notched her own single and later scored for a 2-0 lead.

“Piper, in a lot of ways, is the anchor of this team,” Tapley said. “She’s our catcher and a strong hitter in our four spot. When she’s on, she changes the game. She threw a girl out at first base with the bases loaded and changed the momentum of the game in our favor.”

Hayden Hughes led off the top of the second with a walk and made her way to third. She scored on a single by Lucy Pacheco as part of a three-run inning for a 5-0 lead.

Turner scored in the bottom of the second when Ella Doucette scored on a passed ball.

Lewiston extended its lead in the top of the third with Piper Croteau sending the ball deep into left for a solo inside-the-park homer.

Croteau, who earned the team’s game ball, had one thought running on the bases.

“Just get to home,” she said.

Lewiston added four more runs in the inning for a 10-1 lead.

Turner started chipping away in the third inning by forcing walks. Turner batters crossed the plate four times to cut the deficit to 10-5.

Madeline Andrews hit a single in the top of the fourth and scored Lewiston’s 11th run on a dropped third strike as Turner thew to first to get the batter out.

Piper Croteau, who reached on a fielder’s choice, scored again, this time on a passed ball to extend the lead to 12-5.

In the bottom of the fourth, Turner’s last at-bat since a new inning doesn’t start after 90 minutes of play, they chipped away at Lewiston’s lead. Reese Bilodeau and Cayleigh Rose each walked and came around to score in the inning to cut Lewiston’s lead to 12-7.

Addy Dubois, the team’s fourth hitter with two outs, smacked a triple but was thrown out at the plate trying to extend it into an inside-the-park home run.

“Some may look at it as a tough way to end it, but I thought it was a great way to take that chance off a great hit like that,” Poulin said. “I wouldn’t have changed it.”

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