SKOWHEGAN — Skowhegan senior Mariah Whittemore briefly tried to make the case for instant replay in high school softball after her team’s 7-3 win over Messalonskee on Friday. In the first inning, Whittemore hit a bomb to center field that looked like it might clear Skowhegan’s ridiculously high outfield wall. It’s an 8-foot high chain link devourer of home runs, and Whittemore thought her blast cleared the wall and ricocheted off the post supporting the scoreboard and back onto the field.
“It hit the white post, but…,” Whittemore said, letting it trail off as a verbal shrug. The River Hawks won to stay undefeated at 11-0. There was no sense in complaining too much about individual glory.
It’s not as if the double harmed Whittemore’s stat line, anyway. She finished with three RBI doubles and two runs scored, all while hitting third in Skowhegan’s lineup for the first time this season. Whittemore is one of just two seniors on Skowhegan’s roster, and the only one in the lineup Friday against the Eagles, with Logan Wing unavailable. Whittemore’s day cemented her status as the undisputed leader of the River Hawks.
“She’s the one that really leads us emotionally,” Skowhegan coach Lee Johnson said of Whittemore. “There’s no question about it. She’s a passionate kid, loves the game and energy just pours out of that kid. It’s infectious to our team.”
Also a standout field hockey player at Skowhegan, Whittemore, the team’s third baseman, embraces being a leader to her younger teammates.
“It’s so much fun. I love these kids. They work hard every day, and they do it for everyone, not themselves. It’s awesome,” Whittemore said. “I love being a leader on this team.”
Messalonskee first baseman Maddy Card makes a diving catch for an out against Skowhegan on Friday in Skowhegan. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
Wing’s absence meant Johnson had to tweak the lineup, moving Jaycie Christopher from third to second, and Whittemore from fifth to third in the batting order.
“We had to make little adjustments today. She’s been swinging a really good bat. She comes with tremendous energy and focus, and she stood up to the challenge,” Johnson said.
“I just knew Morgan (Wills, Messalonskee’s starting pitcher) is a great pitcher. She always has been. I knew I had to be confident and swing the bat,” Whittemore said.
Whittemore’s first-inning double scored Christopher and gave the River Hawks a 1-0 lead. After Messalonskee scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game at 3-3 — and doubling the number of runs Skowhegan has allowed all season — Whittemore helped pad the lead the River Hawks regained for good in the bottom of the fourth.
After Christopher was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the fifth, Whittemore doubled to center, scoring Christopher from first base and giving Skowhegan a 5-3 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Whittemore hit her third double, again driving home Christopher.
Some young teams need time to come together and jell. For the River Hawks, Whittemore is the jell.
“I think it’s the energy. We’ve all played sports together all throughout, and I think the energy is there every day. We come together more. I think it’s the chemistry,” Whittemore said.
“No question, she led us big time today,” Johnson said. “She’s a gritty, competitive kid, and that’s the kind of kid you need on your team.”
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