This week’s win over Mt. Abram has put Carrabec in the hunt for a spot in the Western C softball tournament. The Cobras are 4-9, with their season finale scheduled for today at Monmouth.

“I think the kids are just coming together,” Carrabec coach Craig Knight said. “Those kids are a close-knit bunch anyway. They’ve gotten a little taste of the success, and they want more of it.”

The top 10 teams make the playoffs in Western C, and Carrabec was tied for eighth late Thursday night. An improved defense has kept the Cobras in most of their games.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had as good a defensive team as I have right now,” Knight said. “We’ve averaged six errors a game the last four or five years. We’re right around two a game (this year).”

Catcher Brooklynne Lewis has starred on defense, throwing out 12 runners over the last three games. Lewis is also hitting close to .400.

“She’s peaking right now, both offensively and defensively,” Knight said.

Ashlee Knight has caught fire and raised her average over .400 as well. Paige Chadbourne is also close to .400 and Libby Chestnut is at .385. Right fielder Bailey Atwood struggled early but is now hitting close to .300.

“Now, instead of just having one or two hitters, we’ve got five or six,” Coach Knight said.

A win over Monmouth will assure the Cobras a playoff spot. A loss, and they may have to wait and see. Knight said they’re not concerned with seeds right now.

“If we’re ninth or 10th, Carrabec’s a happy bunch of kids, just to get in,” he said.

* * *

Teams can start dragging this time of year. So Skowhegan’s 4-1 victory over Lawrence on Thursday will be the last time the Indians take the field for a few days.

“I think the kids are probably a little tired,” Skowhegan coach Lee Johnson said. “It’s the end of the year, with graduation stuff going on. I think the kids need a break. They’re just mentally fatigued, so we’re trying to give them a break over the weekend, get themselves rested up a little bit.”

Skowhegan is 10-5, and hosts Oxford Hills (11-4) on Tuesday.

* * *

It was bound to happen sooner or later, but the Cony High School softball team’s 9-1 loss to Edward Little in Auburn on Wednesday came as a surprise.

Including the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A playoffs, the loss was the first in 34 games for the defending Class A state champions.

“I sensed we were a little flat when we got off the bus,” Cony coach Rocky Gaslin said. “We didn’t hit well, we didn’t field well.”

Edward Little (8-5) should make the tournament, but the Rams handled them 11-4 in their first meeting and have rarely lost to the Red Eddies. The Rams, who are batting over .400 as a team, recorded their low hit-total in recent memory with just two. They also committed five errors.

“We’ve just got to get our bats going a little better, too,” Gaslin said. “The last couple of games we’ve been struggling at the plate.”

Gaslin said he’s never happy with a loss but thinks the unbeaten streak was on the team’s mind.

“We’ve just got to relax a little more,” he said.

Cony (13-1) bounced back Thursday with a 4-0 win against Mt. Ararat in which Sonja Morse pitched a no-hitter.

The Rams are scheduled to play Lewiston today, weather permitting, and conclude the season Tuesday with a showdown in Brewer against the unbeaten Witches. Last year, they beat the Witches 1-0 in the Eastern Maine Class A final.

The same two pitchers — Morse for Cony and Alexa Grindle for Brewer — are expected to match up Tuesday. Both are currently unbeaten.

“She mixes it up pretty good and works both sides of the plate,” Gaslin said of Grindle.

Win or lose, Cony appears locked into the second spot in the Eastern Maine Class A standings. This year, both the Eastern Maine and Class A state championship games will be held in Augusta.

Gary Hawkins contributed to this report.

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com

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