A lot of people expected today’s Class D softball final to be the third straight meeting between Richmond and Deer-Isle Stonington. Richmond indeed won the West, but now the Bobcats will face a new opponent, with numbers as gaudy as theirs.
Richmond (16-1) has outscored its opponents, 199-18. Half of those 18 runs allowed were in one game. Eastern D champion Penobscot Valley is 18-1 and is outscoring its foes, 204-21. They play at 11 a.m., today, at Coffin Field in Brewer.
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Richmond pitcher Leandra Martin, a senior, is coming off a one-hit, 11-strikeout performance in the Western D final against Rangeley.
“She’s throwing excellently,” Richmond coach Rick Coughlin said. “She’s on top of her game right now. So it should be interesting.”
PVHS pitcher Kayla Dube has also been lights-out this spring. In 19 games, Dube has over 200 strikeouts, and only twice has she given up more than two hits in one game.
“She’s the franchise,” PVHS coach Tom Coyle said. “If Kayla’s on, the team will be right there, and that’s how we play.”
Dube is backed by a defense that has committed only 19 errors this season, and Coughlin is hoping that defense will be tested by Richmond’s bunting and running-themed offense. The Howlers also have a solid offense which is jump-started by shortstop Kirstin Batchelder, who bats leadoff and had an on-base percentage over .900 this season. Third baseman Shaelyn Jones is hitting close to .600.
Richmond also has a dangerous offense, led by Danica Hurley, Bri Snedeker, Lindsy Hoopingarner, Ciarra Lancaster, and Alyssa Pearson.
Both teams have experience against teams from high classes. Richmond has two wins against Sacopee Valley this season. Sacopee not only reached the Western C final, but defeated Greely (No. 2 in Western B) and Monmouth (No. 2 in Western C) this spring.
PVHS, meanwhile, was in Class C last season, and reached the semifinals. The Howlers defeated Stearns and Penquis Valley, both of whom reached the Eastern C playoffs.
“I scrimmaged all B teams this spring, and we didn’t lose to any of them,” Coyle said.
Coyle said his team’s thinking all year was to play every game like a playoff game. That way, once the postseason arrived, everything was just another game. The Howlers started out 7-0 this year before being shut out by Woodland.
“If we were going to lose, we couldn’t have picked a better time,” Coyle said. “They knew why they lost. They were over-confident, and they didn’t have a good warm-up.”
PVHS has been playing superbly ever since that game. The same goes for Richmond.
“Overall, I think we’re playing very well,” Coughlin said. “We do a lot of great things.”
Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
mdifilippo@centralmaine.com
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