GARDINER — The Gardiner softball team put it all together Friday in its Class B North showdown against unbeaten Medomak.
The Tigers supported the strong pitching effort from sophomore Jillian Bisson by playing errorless defense and banging out 11 hits in a 10-1 victory. Both teams are 8-1.
“We came today ready to play,” Bisson said. “We showed up and we attacked early and we got our bats alive.”
The Tigers jumped on Medomak starter Addie Jameson for four runs in the first inning and three in the second before she was relieved by Gabby DePatsy. Jameson issued three walks in the first inning and was victimized by two errors.
Bisson led the game with a base hit and scored on Julia Nadeau’s sacrifice fly. But things unraveled for the Panthers from there. A run scored on a wild pitch and with two out, Jameson fanned Maggie Bell. The catcher dropped the ball and threw it into right field to score two more runs.
“This is the worst game we’ve played, preseason and all,” Medomak coach Richard Vannah said. “There’s a lot of talent, a lot of good kids, they’ll rebound.”
The Panthers never fully recovered from their disastrous first inning. Meghan Meehan reached first when her infield pop-up was dropped to open the second inning.
“I think they dug a hole they couldn’t get back from.” Nadeau said.
Haley Brann followed Meehan with a double to left, putting runners on second and third. Both runners scored on safety bunts from Bisson and Logan Granholm. Nadeau singled and scored on Sydney Bartunek’s infield hit.
“That was (our) best game of the season,” Gardiner coach Don Brochu. “We’re gaining.”
Bisson cruised through the Medomak lineup until DePatsy homered over the center field fence with two outs in the fourth. By that time, the Tigers led 10-1.
“She hit the spots when she needed to,” said Nadeau, who caught and called most of the pitches.
Bisson allowed six hits, struck out six and didn’t walk a batter. So far this season, she’s allowed just four walks.
“My curve was working a lot today and my screw (ball),” Bisson said.
Bisson was supported by a strong defense. Bell made a nice catch at the fence in left to rob Emily Wotton of extra bases in the third and Brann, playing second base, made an outstanding catch of Cassie Smeltzer’s fly ball in short right field in the fourth. Nadeau also snared three foul pop-ups.
“Our key thing has been defense all year,” Brochu said.
The Tigers made it 10-0 with three runs in the third inning. Brooke Somes, Meehan and Nadeau all singled coupled with a walk and another Medomak error.
“We hit more today than we have all season,” said Nadeau, who had three hits.
Bisson and Kylie Sirois added two hits each while Hallie Kunesh singled twice for the Panthers.
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