Jun. 19—This story will be updated.
STANDISH, Maine — It’s not always how many hits a team gets, rather when they get them that matters most.
Hall-Dale High School of Farmingdale came up with a handful of timely hits on Saturday, scoring three first-inning runs en route to a 5-0 victory over Dexter in the Class C softball state championship game at Bailey Field on the campus of Saint Joseph’s College in Standish.
Coach Steve Aceto’s Bulldogs capped a perfect season at 17-0, claiming the first softball title in program history.
The North champion Dexter Tigers, coached by Jason Hardy, had their 14-game winning streak halted and finished at 15-3.
A youthful Hall-Dale ballclub, which featured four underclassmen in its starting lineup, took some of the big-game pressure off with their early offensive exploits.
The Bulldogs were both opportunistic and clutch as Sarah Benner, the only senior starter, was hit by a pitch with one out by Dexter senior Avery Herrick. Rita Benoit then ripped a single inside the bag at third and Tanley Tibbetts reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases
Lily Platt plated the first run with a fielder’s choice grounder to third base, then Emma Soule stroked a sharp RBI single to center field. The third run scored on a wild pitch.
Hall-Dale scored two more runs in the third when Benoit reached on a fielding error and scored on Tibbetts’ triple over the left fielder’s head. One out later, Emma Soule laid down a squeeze-bunt single to make it 5-0.
Freshman Ashlynn Donahue earned the victory in the circle, teaming up with Benoit. Donahue spaced five singles with three strikeouts and a walk through five innings.
Benoit, a sophomore, closed out the win with four strikeouts and pitched around Liz Kinney’s two-out triple to center field.
Emma Soule singled twice among only four hits for the Bulldogs off Herrick. She fanned six,walked two and hit a batter while going the distance.
Kinney added two singles to go with her triple, while Herrick, Cheyenne Beem and Hannah Dean chipped in a single apiece.
The Tigers were not able to come up with hits to cash in on potential scoring chances. Dexter went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Dexter (15-2) vs. Hall-Dale (16-0)
#1-Hall-Dale 13, #8-Dirigo 1
1-Hall-Dale 12, #4-Maranacook 4
#1-Hall-Dale 3, #2-Madison 0