ADDISON COUNTY — In local high school softball and baseball action earlier this week, the Mount Abraham and Otter Valley teams all prevailed.
The Otter softball team will also dedicate its home field to longtime coach Pattie Candon this Friday before the Otters’ home game against Mill River. The ceremony will start at 4:15 p.m., 15 minutes before game time.
OV SOFTBALL
On Monday, the Otters thumped Rutland, 10-0, to improve to 5-3. Taylor Aines tossed a four-hit shutout, walking one and striking out four, while Brittany Bushey,Amy Jones andMaia Edmunds homered.
Bushey finished three-for-three and led off the game with a home run, Jones drilled a two-run homer, and Edmunds drilled a solo shot as a pinchhitter in the sixth.
Cortney Poljacik’s streak of four games with a homer was snapped, but she had three hits and drove in two runs, and Aines had three hits and doubled home two runs.
The Otters’ only loss to a Division II team came last week to Mount Abe in extra innings. According to the Vermont Principals’ Association website, the Otters were in fifth place in Division II as of Wednesday morning.
OV BASEBALL
On Monday, the Otters rallied to edge host Rutland, 3-2, in nine innings, and improve to 5-2. According to the VPA website, the Otters were in fourth place in D-II as of Tuesday morning.
Dean Douglas drove in all three OV runs, including singling in Mike Winslow with the go-ahead run in the ninth. Winslow had walked, stolen second and moved to third on a balk before Douglas delivered the winning hit, his third of the game.
Rutland took a 2-0 lead in the second off OV starter C.J. McCullough, with one earned and one unearned run. That was all McCullough would allow in what Coach Tim Mitchell called his best performance of the spring: 6.0 innings, six hits, two walks and one strikeout. Mitchell said the Otters backed McCullough with “incredible defense.”
OV made it 2-1 in the fifth when Shane Quenneville singled, moved up on an error and a walk to Winslow, and scored on a Douglas grounder. The Otters tied it in the top of the seventh when Will Claessens walked, stole second and scored from there on a Douglas single.
Claessens also earned the win with three innings of scoreless relief, allowing two hits and striking out two Raiders. Rutland fell to 4-4.
EAGLE SOFTBALL
On Tuesday, the Mount Abe softball team powered past host Milton, 14-4. Two homers in the fifth inning proved to be decisive: Ashley Boise launched a grand slam and Melanie Rotax drilled a two-run shot in that frame. Dani Forand added a pair of hits as the Eagles improved to 7-1, and Sam Forand earned the pitching victory.
According to the VPA website, the win moved the Eagles into first place in D-II as of Wednesday morning.
EAGLE BASEBALL
On Tuesday, the Mount Abe baseball team jumped on host Milton early and claimed a 7-3 victory. The Eagles scored four times in the first inning, a rally keyed by one of Austin Lafayette’s three hits, a two-run single.
Sawyer Kamman pitched a complete game for the win, allowing two earned runs, walking one, allowing six hits and striking out 12. Kamman also contributed a hit and scored two runs, and Mike White also touched home base twice.
The win snapped what had been a five-game losing streak and improved the Eagles’ record to 5-2.