ORONO – The defending three-time Class C champion Hall-Dale High School Bulldogs were two outs away from having their dream of a fourth straight title dashed by Bucksport at Kessock Field in Orono Saturday.
But the Bulldogs scored four runs on four hits, an intentional walk and two fielder’s choices in the top of the seventh inning to beat Bucksport 6-3.
Hall-Dale capped an 18-2 season with its eighth straight win.
Bucksport also finished at 18-2 after having its 18-game winning streak snapped.
Trailing 3-2 in the seventh, Hall-Dale’s Torie Tibbetts singled off pitcher Natalie Simpson’s glove.
She went to second on a wild pitch and scored when Zoe Soule’s single off third baseman Jayden Tripp’s glove was thrown wildly to first by shortstop Sam Cyr.
Soule wound up on third and, following a fielder’s choice and intentional walk, Jade Graham ripped an 0-2 pitch to center to break the tie.
Lucy Gray followed with an RBI single through the shortstop and Mira Skehan’s fielder’s choice delivered the sixth run.
Jetta Shook’s RBI double staked Bucksport to a 1-0 lead in the third but Hall-Dale responded with two in the fourth on three straight singles, two on bunts, Skehan’s sacrifice fly and an error.
The Bucks took the lead in the bottom of the sixth on singles by Lilly Chiavelli and Jayden Tripp, Simpson’s run-scoring single and a passed ball.
Graham and Gray each had two hits for Hall-Dale while Cyr and Simpson had two each for Bucksport.
Ashlynn Donahue went the distance in the circle for the win.
