AUGUSTA — Messalonskee softball coach Leo Bouchard knows it’s going to take a monumental effort for his Eagles to topple undefeated Scarborough in the Class A state title game Saturday at Cony High School.
He also says that counting the Eagles out would be a mistake.
A big, big mistake.
“I really think my pitching can hold them at bay,” Bouchard said. “I think my defense can do the job, too. I really think we match up well. We are very confident. This is the most confident group I’ve ever had. Everyone is on the same page. They all exude that confidence. I mean, who in the beginning of the season thought we could beat Bangor three times? I am sure those same people are thinking we can’t beat Scarborough.
“But if we play our game, if we don’t make any errors and are very crisp on defense, we’ll be just fine. Our pitching and defense have carried us all year. I expect this to be a tight game.”
The Eagles and the Red Storm will play at noon.
Scarborough (19-0) is gunning for its fifth state title since 2007. It’s won the crown in odd-numbered years, including 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013.
First baseman Kaleigh Scoville (.520, 21 RBIs) leads a potent Scarborough offense, along with third baseman Maggie Murphy (.358, 13 RBIs, 17 runs).
“One thing I know is that (Scoville) is versatile and extremely athletic,” Bouchard said. “My pitchers know those girls very well and they say she is the one big one we need to stay away from.”
Lilly Volk is 10-0 with a 1.04 ERA for Scarborough as well.
“We know they are undefeated and that they have a great pitcher,” Messalonskee senior second baseman MollyAn Killingbeck said. “But we know we are a tough team, too. We are confident we can come from behind, and we know we play good in tight games. We’re ready for (Saturday). We’re prepared.”
The Eagles held a light practice Thursday and then tuned up for Volk and the Red Storm with the help from Hall-Dale pitcher Becca Ackerson on Friday.
Ackerson came to practice Friday to throw to Messalonskee’s hitters.
“She can bring it,” Bouchard said. “We had a connection through some parents and she came up to help us out. She can bring it pretty good. She pitches as hard as the (Scarborough) pitcher does. It was a big help.”
Added Killingbeck, who hit .529 this season: “It was great to see some live pitching instead of a machine. We could practice timing up the fastball. She throws as hard as anyone we’ve seen. It was great she could take the time to do that.”
Messalonskee will turn to junior pitcher Kirsten Pelletier, who is 15-3 with 144 strikeouts in 107 innings pitched. Center fielder Kristy Prelgovisk is hitting .511 while shortstop Madisyn Charest has 33 hits and a .516 average.
“We’re ready to go,” Bouchard said. “We’re as ready as we can be.”
Bill Stewart — 621-5618
Twitter: @billstewartmtm
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