Comradery among teammates makes a difference on the field by Matt Pascarella

McLeod, Edwards and Kimball posing with the game winning ball, after beating Westbrook in the 11th inning 1-0.

The nine and ten-year-old girls’ softball District Six Windham Allstars are on a roll. They are undefeated after beating Westbrook on July 5th in the 11^th inning, one to zero. They became District Six Champions on Saturday, July 7with a score of two to one against Cumberland-North Yarmouth to advance to the State Championship in Glenburn, Maine on July 14th.

There are three members on this team who have been playing together and supporting each other since they met. They are: catcher, Chloe Edwards, age 10, the pitcher, Kennedy Kimball, age 11 and the second baseman, Oakley McLeod, age 10. They have known each other for roughly the last four years.

All three of them met on their minor softball team, the Shaw’s team, around 2014. They stuck together as teammates and taught each other to keep their heads up, which came in handy especially later in their softball careers, in situations that go into extra innings.

“It was fun to meet new people who we are friends with now and it brought us up to the level to be able to play here,”remarked Edwards.

They all agreed preparation for any game came through practices. Aside from practices with their teammates, McLeod, Edwards and Kimball would visit each other to work on their skills. “We’d have lessons every night to get good at catching and pitching,” explains Kimball. “I’d go over to [Kimball’s] house so she could pitch to me and we could see how we are doing,” clarifies Edwards.

Kimball has been on a roll herself. She threw three consecutive no-hitters and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. “It was exciting; it was really nice to have one of my best friends behind the plate with me and it was nice knowing I had a really good team behind me.”

They’ve been and will continue to be a team that will stick together and are supportive of one another, no matter what team they’re each on.