Monmouth softball resilient in victory over Cony

Monmouth Academy's Evelyn Pettengill hits a two-run double in the third inning that drove in the tying and go-ahead runs in the Mustangs' 2-1 win over Cony. Purchase this image

MONMOUTH — The way this game unfolded could have meant trouble for the Monmouth Academy softball team.

Against Cony’s strong starting pitcher Olivia Duplessis, the Mustangs’ bats were far quieter than they were in their previous games. Monmouth also made two errors in the second inning that led to a run in a game that featured little offense.

Yet even when things didn’t go its way, Monmouth always seemed to have a counterpunch Monday. The resilient effort powered the Mustangs to a 2-1 victory over an upstart Cony team in a hard-fought Mountain Valley Conference-Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference battle.

“I just told my team, ‘The thing I’m proudest of today was, when you made mistakes, someone was there to pick you up behind you,’” said Monmouth coach Dave Kaplan. “Everybody was into it today, and we had each other’s back. That’s critical to a good season.”

How Monmouth did it

• Defense. Sure, Monmouth (3-0) made three errors, but the plays the Mustangs did make shined brighter. After Bella Lyons and Kaitlyn Frost snagged would-be hits out of the air in the first inning, shortstop Rileigh Chase made a key throw to nail Abby Brown with a runner in scoring position.

Then, in the seventh, Cony’s Calelyn Lebel poked a ball into right field to lead off the inning. Lauren Burnham made a fantastic throw to get the Cony sophomore at first.

“One-hundred percent, our defense came in strong today,” said Monmouth pitch Shannah Parsons. “Errors are bound to happen in any game, but I think my defense supporting me definitely helped me pitch the game.”

• Indeed, Parsons was dealing (again). The senior, who has yet to allow an earned run over her first three games, struck out five batters, walked none and allowed just a one hit to Cony’s Kya Douin in the third inning.

• Evelyn Pettegill smacked a double to right in the third that scored Chase and Parsons to put Monmouth ahead for good.

What it means

• After beating Mt. Abram, 22-0, and Maranacook/Winthrop, 15-0, in mercy-rule games, Class C Monmouth showed it could grind out a win in a more competitive matchup against a Class B school.

• A Cony freshman class that’s turned heads in the early going showed lots of promise. Duplessis held a Monmouth lineup that had 29 hits in seven innings entering Tuesday to three, and Douin had a stolen base in addition to her third-inning hit.

“They’re going to be a really studded class in the future,” said Cony coach Dennis Gagne. “With these freshmen, a great junior class and a good middle school class, we’re going to be really, really solid for a few years.”

They said it

“Our team has really bonded this year, and I think that’s going to help us a lot in the future. I think that’s what’s helped us in the field, too; it’s really easy to get down, but that’s what’s helped us.” — Shannah Parsons

“I love (being able to play Cony). We need competition, and there’s some teams in this league that aren’t there yet. It’s great for us, and I’d like to play a few more crossover games.” — Dave Kaplan