STACYVILLE, Maine — It was hard to tell the two teams apart as the No. 4 Katahdin Cougars hosted No. 13 Fort Fairfield Tigers in a Class D North preliminary playoff June 8, 2016.
Both teams sported red jerseys and black pants, making it sometimes difficult to tell who was who on the softball diamond.
Katahdin shut out the visiting Tigers, 7-0, thanks to the solid pitching of Kaycee Cintron (six hits, no walks, three strikeouts) and stellar defensive play by third baseman Georgia Landry and first baseman Molly Cunningham.
Cunningham also led the Cougars offensively as she bashed four hits, while Landry, Courtney Stevens, and Lindsay Drew each had three hits.
“Our defense has been there all year,” said Katahdin coach Dillon Kingsbury. “It’s nice knowing you have a strong defense that is not going to give up too many runs.”
The Cougars were aggressive on the base paths, often catching Fort Fairfield off guard by taking an extra base on walks and singles.
“We wanted to be smart, but aggressive,” Kingsbury said. “We wanted to put the pressure on them and if they [opponents] make the play, they make the play.”
Taylor Churchill doubled and singled to spark Fort Fairfield. Sara Edgecomb pitched the loss for Fort Fairfield as she scattered seven runs (five earned) on 16 hits and one walk, with one strikeout.
Fort Fairfield coach Tim Watt said he felt the Tigers played well defensively, especially considering his team was missing two starters.
“I thought our kids battled real well, and never gave up,” Watt said. “We just didn’t get timely hits.”
