Shelby Obert went 5 for 5 in one game. Mikayla Toth had that game when she had a double and a triple. Earlier this week, Bonnie-Jane Aiken had a single and a double in the same inning. Emma Fitzgerald had two singles in that same game. Then there was the game where Kaitlyn Therriault had three hits.

The point is that the Skowhegan softball team has some serious depth in its lineup. That’s part of the reason the Indians are off to a 7-2 start.

“When I look at the batting order that we could put on the field, there’s a lot of kids one through nine who have the potential to get a multi-hit game,” Skowhegan coach Lee Johnson said.

The only real low point this season was Skowhegan’s 14-2 loss to Brewer on April 26, when the Indians became demoralized late in the game and ended up committing nine errors. Johnson said he has since stressed competing every day and the players have done that.

“At the plate, especially, we seem to be challenging a little bit more,” he said. “So far, they’ve done everything I can ask of them.”

The Indians have one of the toughest schedules in the state over the next six days. If the weather cooperates today, Skowhegan will play at Cony. On Monday, the Indians host Messalonskee. Then on Wednesday, they play at Brewer. Those three teams are a combined 24-1, and the only loss was when Brewer and Messalonskee played each other.

Skowhegan has two fine pitchers in Therriault, a right-hander, and lefty Taylor Johnson. Therriault’s father, Kevin, is an assistant coach, while Taylor Johnson is Lee’s daughter. So far, both have pitched in the same game several times.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve used two pitchers as much as I’m using two pitchers now,” said Lee Johnson, who is in his 13th season as Skowhegan’s coach. “I’ve always been one to ride a pitcher through a game, and now I’m trying to figure out how to manage two pitchers who are pretty similar.”

* * *

Nokomis picked up a key victory over Maine Central Institute on Wednesday, moving to 6-3 and fourth place in the Eastern B Heal points in the process.

The win was also important because Sara Packard pitched a complete-game two-hitter. It was the first time Packard had gone all seven innings this season.

Packard was pitching during the Warriors’ run to the Eastern B final last spring. But the combination of a concussion during soccer season and a school trip to Italy last month have left Packard a little behind schedule this season.

“She couldn’t pitch all winter,” Nokomis coach J.D. McLellan said. “Most pitchers come in (to preseason) and they’ve pitched all winter long. We were lucky enough that we had someone like Becky (Orcutt) who could come in there. We’re good either way, but we’re stronger with (Sara) on the mound. That way, we can have Becky at first.”

The Warriors are averaging nearly seven runs per game this season despite a tough schedule. Shortstop Lacey Kent-Webber and second baseman Courtney Carlson are hitting the ball with more authority lately. So is right fielder and leadoff hitter Sierra Fortin, who has the ability to lay down a bunt and beat it out or smack the ball over an outfielder’s head.

“She’s almost as good as Autumn Silke used to be,” McLellan said. Silke hit .500 with 14 stolen bases as a junior for Nokomis in 2008.

“She’s starting to learn when and where she has to hit it, and how she has to hit it, and she’s seeing the ball better,” McLellan added.

* * *

Rangeley has prospered since opening the season with a 12-0 loss to Richmond on April 26. The Lakers have a lot of doubleheaders this season, so they’ve been using sophomore Taylor Esty and freshman Michaela Shorey to split the pitching duties.

“They’re very interchangeable,” Rangeley coach Ashley Quimby said. “They both pitch and they both play third base.”

Hitting is a big strength for the Lakers, who have scored a total of 44 runs over their last three games. The defense, except for one inning against Forest Hills when Rangeley committed 10 errors, has also been solid. Shortstop Tori Letarte has been especially strong after playing in the outfield the previous two years.

“Our motto last year,” Quimby said, “and it’s kind of carried over into this year, is, ‘Make plays. Just keep the ball in front of you and make plays. Nobody has to do anything spectacular.'”

Incredibly, Rangeley has had a regular-season game on just three different days this spring: April 26 against Richmond, April 30 against Buckfield, and Monday’s doubleheader with Forest Hills. Quimby says the Lakers practice six days a week and do a lot of drills.

“We have a really fun team,” Quimby said. “They sing and dance and they’re all crazy. My first year, it used to really irritate me. I’d be like, ‘If this is how we practice, we’re going to play like crap!’ But I’ve learned over the last three years, when it’s game time, they come to play.”

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com