READFIELD — Experience showed in nearly every facet of the game when the Maranacook softball team hosted Winslow on Friday.

Winslow put eight senior fielders behind junior pitcher Paige Trask while Maranacook started a freshman in Natalie Costa and backed her with three freshmen, three sophomores and a lone senior.

Maranacook's Kaylee Jones, left, dives back to third base in time to beat the throw to Winslow third baseman Alexa Petrovic during a game Friday in Readfield. Staff photo by Joe Phelan

Winslow pitcher Paige Trask throws to a Maranacook batter during a game Friday in Readfield. Staff photo by Joe Phelan

Maranacook pitcher Natalie Costa fields a comebacker from Winslow's Alexa Petrovic and made the throw to get her out at first during a game Friday in Readfield. Staff photo by Joe Phelan

Results were predictable. The Black Raiders took advantage of physical and mental errors en route to a 7-2 victory.

Winslow is 6-1 in Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference play and climbing the standings in Class B North while Maranacook falls to 2-5.

Trask (3-0) scattered four hits, walked four and struck out five while admittedly not having her best stuff.

“I had a good defense behind me,” she said. “It’s a good team, we all have each other’s backs and we always know we can count on one another.”

The Raiders scored in each of the first four innings, taking advantage of four Maranacook errors — the Black Bears made five in all — while stealing five bases. They also laid down a couple of successful bunts that went for hits and generally caused their inexperienced counterparts to toss the ball around a bit.

“That’s the difference between one senior and nine seniors,” Maranacook co-coach Don Beckwith said.

Winslow’s Sarah Guimond led the game with a walk, stole second and scored after tagging up on a fly ball and taking advantage of an errant throw back into the infield.

“We’ve worked many, many years on trying to take the extra base,” Winslow coach Steve Bodge said. “Whether it’s during a dead ball, or first to third or any of that stuff. We pride ourselves on it and we do the best we can.”

The Raiders worked the same scenario in the second inning when Cassie Demers walked, stole second and scored when Natalie Greene bunted for a hit the Black Bears defense fell asleep for a couple of seconds.

Winslow finished with six hits, three of them in the fourth inning when it scored twice to take a 4-1 lead. Guimond reached on an infield hit, stole second and scored on Trask’s single and Trask came home on Broghan Gagnon’s base hit.

Trask retired 12 in a row in the middle innings, thanks to improved control and strong infield defense.

“Just getting in the groove of things,” she said.

The Black Bears had some bright spots, too. They ended the second inning with an infield double play started by shortstop Amanda Goucher and freshman Evelyn St. Germain made an outstanding running catch in right center to rob Demers of extra bases and end a threat in the seventh.

“We’ve got some good softball players,” Beckwith said. “They’re fun.”

Maranacook got to Trask for a pair of hits in both the sixth and seventh innings. Abagail Jacques led the sixth with a walk and Kaylee Jones followed with a base hit. Goucher’s double to left scored Jacques to make it 6-2 with runners on second and third with no one out. Erin Bonenfant followed with a bomb to center that Haley Ward ran down with an over the shoulder catch but Jones failed to tag up at third.

“That was one of the keys,” Bodge said. “That could have been a turning point if the ball gets over her head.”

Maggie Vigue and Dana Vigue opened the bottom of the seventh with base hits, but third baseman Alexa Petrovic snared a bunt from Jacques and doubled Vigue off third and Trask fanned the final hitter.

Related Stories