BREWER — This wait might have been worth it.

After all the delays and disappointment the Telstar softball team has experienced at Coffin Field in recent years, Monday’s Class C state championship win may have made up for it.

“We came here sophomore year to the same field and didn’t do it,” said senior  infielder Victoria Forkus. “It’s nice to come back to the field and do what we didn’t do.”

The Rebels took on an unknown opponent in the Dexter Tigers Monday night and produced an impressive effort in a 7-0 win.

Between three straight regional titles and two straight state crowns, this group of Rebels accomplished things no Telstar team has managed before.

“This is the first time back-to-back,” said Telstar coach Jim Lunney. “This is the first time we’ve won three in a row. I told the girls, these are all milestones. This is the game we’ve been waiting for all year. We wanted to play in the last game of the year and wanted to play as well as we could.”

Telstar did just that. Kayla Merrill hurled a three-hitter and struck out six. She even put down the heart of the Tiger order with three pitches in one inning.

The defense was solid behind her. Hannah Morin made a nice running catch in centerfield while Katie Sumner at third and Kallie Brown at second made some key plays. Catcher Lyndsay Merrill even picked off a runner at first. Dexter managed just two runners on base, with only one hit, over the final four innings.

“We used the phrase basketful of goose eggs,” said Lunney. “We needed goose eggs. Kayla delivered. The defense stood up, and we hit the ball very well.”

Walker led the Rebels with three hits and three RBIs. Lyndsay Merrill also had three hits and scored twice. Kayla Merrill drove in a pair, had two hits and scored three times. Telstar produced 10 hits.

“It was one of our goals to finish off graduation by being back-to-back state champs,” said Walker.

The Rebels have nine seniors. They were all much younger softball players when Telstar lost to Central in 2005 and then avenged that loss the next year. The loss was a rain-soaked game in Brewer while the state win was in Standish the following year.

In 2009, the Rebels lost in Brewer to Calais. That was after the game had been rained out three times. When last Saturday’s game was washed out, it was the fourth time the Rebels had to wait for the state game in Eastern Maine.

This time the outcome was different. After winning as juniors, none of the seniors wanted to settle for second-best this year.

“It’s not where you play but what team you play with,” said Forkus. “We’ve been together since we were like in sixth grade. So it’s nice to finish it. In field hockey, we didn’t quite make it there.”

Out of the nine seniors, six were starters — including Kayla Merrill, Sumner, Morin, Walker, Forkus and Sarah Averill.

“It’s definitely good for all of us seniors to go out back to back,” said Kayla Merrill. “I think I can speak for everybody. We’re going to miss it. We’re going to miss being here all together.”

Lunney says this was a special group. They faced some tough competition but played their best when it mattered most.

“I’m more than pleased for the whole team,” said Lunney, whose team last won in Eastern Maine in 1991 in Orono, after being postponed in Brewer. “We battled all the way through. Georges Valley was an excellent team. Dexter was an excellent team, and we came through with flying colors.”

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