But instead of driving in runs, her line drive went right back to the pitcher to end the inning.

“I was sort of down, but I knew we needed to get up,” the sophomore first baseman said. “We were down a little, but if we got ourselves up, we could win.”

Two innings later, Sabine got a second chance. After Kelsey Collins tied the game with an RBI single, Sabine delivered the game-winner on a short hit to shallow right to finish off a Raider rally and 4-3 win over Lisbon.

“I knew that if I hit and was relaxed, I could get the job done,” Sabine said. “I knew the people behind me would get it done if I didn’t.”

The Raiders, who started 0-4, moved to 4-4 with their fourth consecutive victory.

“That’s a big difference between now and the beginning of the year,” Oak Hill coach Allyson Collins said. “At the beginning of the year, we were folding under pressure with runners on. We were letting errors get to us. Now, they let it roll off a little more. They have confidence that they’ll comeback and get the job done.”

It was another tough loss for the Greyhounds (1-4). Three of Lisbon’s losses have been by one run. The other was by just four runs.

“It’s timely hitting,” Lisbon coach Terri Trudell Tlumac said. “We’ll get a triple with no one on or a double with no one on. It’s just a matter of getting the correct batting order and filling that void and score those runs. We’re hitting the ball. We’re making contact.”

Lisbon had six hits and three runs in the first two innings, but the Greyhounds managed just four hits the rest of the way off Sadie Goulet. Monica Austin, Taylor Plourde, Molly Nicholson and Kailyn Hill each had two hits for the Greyhounds. Hill scattered eight hits and made a nice play at the plate on a squeeze bunt that ended an Oak Hill threat in the sixth.

“Defensively, we made some great plays,” Trudell Tlumac said. “We had some errors here or there that were costly. The walk really put them in scoring position there, and that helped put them ahead.”

Emma Hlister, a freshman catcher, drew the walk to lead off the seventh. Iris Abbott followed with a sacrifice bunt that was mishandled, putting two runners on. Kayla Veilleux followed with a walk to load the bases with no outs.

That brought up cleanup hitter Kelsey Collins. She delivered a single off the glove of a diving Arianna Kahler at third. That scored Hlister to tie the game 3-3.

“It was just a matter of being relaxed,” Kelsey Collins said. “I just couldn’t pop it up. I just had to hit the ball. That’s all we needed. I just had to stay relaxed and just do the job.”

Sabine followed with her own hit that plated Abbott for the game-winner. Sabine finished with three hits and two RBI. Collins had a pair of hits and an RBI. Goulet allowed just four hits over the final five innings and kept the Greyhounds within reach.

“They’re more confident at the plate,” Allyson Collins said. “They more confident in the field and more confident in each other.”

Lisbon took the early lead on four hits in the first inning. Plourde and Ashley Patten each had RBI singles to make it 2-0. Oak Hill got one back in the bottom of the inning when Sabine singled in a run.

Lisbon got its third run in the second on a fielder’s choice on a bunt by Olivia Harrington. Hill, who had doubled earlier, came in to score. The Raiders got some fine defensive plays on a diving catch by  Lauren Beganny at second and a nice scoop at third by Collins. Goulet also made a nice grab of a liner hit back to the pitcher.

Oak Hill was plagued by baserunning mistakes and missed opportunities early. The Raiders got within 3-2 in the fourth when Sabine singled and scored on an error on a Goulet grounder.

In the fifth inning, Veilleux singled and Collins reached on an error to put runners at second and third with two outs. Sabine hit a liner back to the pitcher to end the inning. In the sixth, Jamie Prue tripled with one out but was out at the plate trying to score on the Beganny squeeze bunt.

“They’re getting over the nerves and now they’re playing through,” Allyson Collins said.

kmills@sunjournal.com

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