Dirigo girls upset top-seed Madison to win semis

DIXFIELD -- After coming so close previously, Dirigo was primed for revenge against a pair of Bulldogs in Western Class C quarterfinal and semifinal softball games.

The senior battery of pitcher Alyssa Wade and catcher Alyssa Charity worked well together, scattering eight hits in going the distance as the No. 4 Cougar offense received some key hits in a 7-1 triumph against No. 5 Hall Dale at cozy Marble Park.

Two days later, the Lady Cougars went on the road and upset top-ranked Madison 9-3 in a semifinal tilt. The Cougars played No. 7 Sacopee Valley in the regional championship game last night at Saint Joseph's College.

Dirigo entered the action with confidence because Madison had won by one run in May. Charity had given the Cougars a jolt with a two-run double in the first inning. However, it was 3-3 after three innings.

The stalemate was short lived because Dirigo scored one run in the fourth and three more in the fifth. Dirigo had 11 hits, including three by Gretchen Bradbury and two each by Charity and Megan Bradbury. Wade scattered seven hits and didn't walk a batter to earn the pitching win.

Last month, Dirigo had lost in the bottom of the seventh inning to the Bulldogs in Farmingdale. This time, the Cougars took control early on, scoring two and three runs in the first and third innings, respectively.

The top of the Dirigo batting order supplied the bulk of the production, with Wade (single and a double, 2 runs, 1 RBI); Charity (double, run, two RBI); Tasha DeRoche (double, triple, two runs, two RBI's) and Ambyr Wilson (junior) two RBIs. The Cougars had seven hits off Bulldog pitcher Olivia Maynard.

Dirigo has benefitted from solid pitching by Wade, who struck out three and did not walk a batter. Each team committed two errors, but the Cougars defense held up with centerfielder Mariah Larson, second baseman Natalie Bolduc, DeRoche at shortstop and third baseman Gretchen Bradbury, who made controlled throws to get the outs at first.

Hall Dale was led by Carolanne Wolfington (two singles), Maynard (single, double) and Morgan Rush (RBI). The Bulldogs scored their lone run in the fourth, however, the Cougars responded it single runs in the fifth and sixth.