FARMINGTON – The Mt. Blue High School (2-13) softball squad played Oxford Hills High School (8-5) at their home away from home at Prescott field on Wednesday. The Cougars have been playing solid softball despite their record and were looking to continue their upward trend.
The Cougars got off to a great start with Pitcher Maddy Smith coaxing the Vikings into a 1-2-3 inning with stellar fielding behind her. Mt. Blue’s leadoff hitter Samantha Ellis singled on a 2-2 pitch to get the early offense going. Macey Phillips would bring Ellis around to score after singling with two outs in the frame. Phillips would be later brought home to give the Cougars a 2-0 after the first inning.
From there Oxford Hills began their run rampage. The Vikings used small ball to move runners to the plate in the second and third innings. Giving up the lead along with three runs, the Cougars found themselves down a score, while being unable to answer. A scoreless fourth inning kept the run total 3-2 in favor of the visiting Vikings.
The top of the fifth sported seven Oxford Hills at-bats, granting the Vikings another two runs to pad their lead, 5-2. The Cougars would answer in the bottom of the fifth frame when Ashley Wiles scored the third and final run for Mt. Blue. In the sixth inning Oxford Hills would continue their keen hitting with the final five runs of the game, pushing their total tally to a 10-3 victory.
Head Coach Ron Smith, despite his teams record, remains resilient.
“Tonight was a microcosm of the season for our young roster, it’s a good group and we’re a lot better than our record would show,” Smith detailed. “We’ve played solid games with the exception of one or two innings a game typically. Earlier in the season it tended to be earlier in the game, while now it happens later. The future is bright for them, and we continue to learn through our experiences.”
Smith and his coaching staff continue to remain positive with stressing the fundamentals and expect big things with more games and at-bats under their belts. The Cougars will finish their season against the #1 seed, Skowhegan, at home on Tuesday, May 30.
