Erskine junior Alyssa Gartley stepped into the void left by the departure of Sonja Morse and pitched a five-hit shutout against Edward Little in the team’s 7-0 season-opening win Wednesday in Auburn.

Morse, who transferred to Cony, saw the bulk of the action in the circle last season.

“(Alyssa) threw maybe one or two games,” first-year Erskine coach Holly Tripp said. “She does a real good job placing the ball around the plate. She’s really worked hard on her changeup and she has really good movement on the ball.”

Gartley didn’t walk a batter and struck out six, including one with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth. The Eagles are a mix of youth and experience. Seniors Meryl Bond and Mikhaela Helm came up with big hits as Erskine scored all seven of its runs in the sixth inning. In all, there are seven seniors on the team.

“It’s nice having so many seniors because we don’t have to go over the little things,” Tripp said. “They’re doing a real good job, they’re very serious.”

The left side of the infield is new with freshman Taylor Boucher at short and junior Alison Gauvin moving from second to third.

“She’s doing a pretty good job,” Tripp said of Boucher. “She’s got range with her glove that I haven’t seen in quite awhile.”

Gauvin hasn’t missed a beat in moving to a new position.

“She’s an animal at third base,” Tripp said.

The Eagles play their home opener Friday against Lawrence.

• • •

There’s plenty of room for three pitchers on the Cony High School staff, particularly three as talented as Emily Soule, Sonja Morse and Arika Brochu.

Soule and Brochu combined on a one-hitter against Lewiston in the Rams’ season-opening 25-1 win Wednesday in five innings. Soule struck out three in three innings while Brochu, a freshman, fanned all six batters she faced.

“She’s mixed it up,” Cony coach Rocky Gaslin said of Brochu. “She has some different speeds. All three of them throw well.”

Gaslin will likely pitch two of the three in most games. Morse didn’t pitch Wednesday because she is nursing a groin injury.

“She’ll start against Brewer on Friday if she’s feeling good enough,” Gaslin said.

When two of the three are not pitching they’ll play in the field, either at first base or in the outfield. Against Lewiston, Brochu had a pair of singles and a two-run homer. Senior catcher Nicole Rugan, who missed the first seven games last season with an injury, had four singles and a double.

“Right now, Rugan is absolutely on fire,” Gaslin said.

In a recent exhibition doubleheader against defending Class A champion Scarborough, Rugan homered off Mo Hannan, who pitched a two-hit shutout in the state game last spring. The Rams split the games with the Red Storm.

• • •

Spring can be a tough time of year for softball teams to put together a dependable lineup when coaches have to deal with school vacations, class trips and college visits.

A Monmouth team with just 14 players on its roster will be down to 10 for its season opener Monday at Lisbon. Coach Rachel Bernier said she will have to play some inexperienced players “because I have no choice.”

The Mustangs are already dealing with the loss of starting shortstop Bri Hicks, who is out for the season with an ACL injury. Bernier toyed with the idea of moving sophomore Kylie Kemp from center field to short, but changed her mind during preseason.

“She’s too valuable for me in the outfield,” Bernier said. “She can cover a lot of territory and has an excellent arm.”

Bernier said freshman Caroline Bonenfant will likely get the start at short while senior Reen Kahl will start on the mound. Lisbon, she said, is an improved team.

“They gave us a good game last year,” Bernier said.

• • •

Hall-Dale will be missing players who are away during spring vacation. Two players, including all-star catcher Carylanne Wolfington, will miss Hall-Dale’s season opener Friday at home against Wiscasset. In all, four players have been out this week although sisters Emily and Olivia Maynard are expected back for the opener. Senior Laura Allen will get the start on the mound.

First-year coach Christen Lachapelle said junior Natasha Brown has filled a leadership role in Wolfington’s absence. After three exhibition games, Lachapelle said the infield is set but the outfield spots are still up for grabs and could be most of the season.

“They know it’s still an audition and they’ll have to keep working hard,” she said.

• • •

Winthrop is missing its two primary pitchers but the Ramblers have the luxury of not playing their first regular-season game until Wednesday when they host Madison. By that time, coach Sean Scully hopes senior Amy Belanger will be ready to pitch. Belanger has missed preseason while on a school trip while the team’s other pitcher, sophomore Kristen Doughty, was injured in a recent appearance.

Third baseman Abby Helm stepped in to pitch in an exhibition game Tuesday, but Scully hopes Belanger will be ready to go.

“My gut tells me it will probably be Amy,” he said.

The Ramblers have steadily improved under Scully, who is in his third year as coach. They return 14 players from last season’s 6-8 team and Scully believes they’re ready to make a playoff run.

“We’ve got some depth,” he said. “The girls are able to play more than one position.”

Madison reached the semifinals of the Western Maine Class C playoffs last season and returns the bulk of that team. The Ramblers didn’t face the Bulldogs last season.

“It will be a good test,” Scully said.

Gary Hawkins — 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com

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