Buckfield softball hands Leavitt its first loss

Buckfield's Carmen Crockett pitches against Leavitt on Thursday in Buckfield. Purchase this image

BUCKFIELD — Buckfield knows from sad experience the importance of capitalizing on scoring opportunities against Leavitt.

In the softball teams’ first meeting this spring, the Bucks stranded several runners on the base paths and lost by a run.

On Thursday, the Bucks made sure base runners came home.

Timely hitting and walks brought in eight Buckfield runs and resulted in an 8-2 victory over the previously undefeated Hornets, who are ranked fifth in the latest Varsity Maine poll.

“The last time we played them, I think, we left 11 girls in scoring position,” Bucks coach Shawn Prokey said of the 4-3 loss on April 24. “You can’t win games by leaving 11 girls in scoring position. Today, they did a much better job with that.”

Brittany Carrier drove in four runs.

The victory moves the Bucks (9-1), whose only loss was to the Hornets, to the top of the Class D South Heal point standings, less than a point ahead of St. Dominic Academy.

Leavitt coach Laura Reny found a silver lining in the first setback of the season for the Class B Hornets after winning their first 10 games.

“It’s kind of nice because it kind of takes the pressure off. So now the girls can just kind of have fun because they don’t have that big of a target saying we’re undefeated,” Reny said. “And I like that. I like that the pressure comes off. So now they can just play their (game).”

How did Buckfield win?

• Leavitt struck first. After Crockett struck out the side in the top of the first, Leavitt starting pitcher Hailey Cyr took her counterpart deep for a two-run homer in the top of the second for a 2-0 advantage.

• After Carrier drove in Buckfield’s first run with a groundout in the bottom of the second, Haley Turcotte hit a ground-rule double for the Hornets in the top of the third. But Leavitt left runners on second and third.

• Cyr ran into trouble in the bottom of the third when she walked the bases loaded with no outs. She retired the next two batters but walked two straight to give the Bucks a 3-2 lead. Carrier made it 5-2 with a two-run single.

“Hailey was hitting the corners, she really was, she just wasn’t getting the call, so, and we tell them all the time, like, don’t react to what you’re getting the call, because you’re only going to make them angry, so, it just wasn’t, it wasn’t falling for us,” Reny said.

• Carrier’s RBI double highlighted a two-run fifth inning, and the Bucks added another run in the sixth.

They said it

• “It was a great game for both teams. They both played well, some great defensive plays, (and) some good hitting. Pretty much said this isn’t the end-all, though; we got to think about the playoffs, and seeing a pitcher like that is going to help us in the playoffs. And, you know, hopefully, we get to a state championship game.” — Shawn Prokey

• “We’ve been practicing with some of the faster pitches, and a lot of those balls were hit right to them. They didn’t have to move very much, so we just had trouble finding the gap today. Sometimes, it doesn’t fall your way and that’s OK.” — Laura Reny, on facing Carmen Crockett