Raymond softball overachieves in first game against Old Orchard Beach

Raymond eighth-grader Caitlyn Bergsen
bats during Jordan-Small Middle School
softball's opening game of the season
against Old Orchard Beach.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

By Matt Pascarella

Raymond’s Jordan-Small Middle School played their first home game of the season against Old Orchard Beach on Tuesday, May 10 and did a spectacular job.

Raymond has been practicing since before April vacation and the team had a very nice first showing; Raymond battled up until the last out. Old Orchard Beach won 17-10.

Eighth-grader Audrey Getchell hit two in-the-park home runs with everyone on the team doing a great job on the field, offensively and defensively.

“I did alright throwing and catching, and I was hitting pretty good,” said eighth-grader Katie Plummer.

Plummer said that they’ve come a long way since that first practice.

In the first inning, OOB scored five runs.

Raymond answered when eighth-grader Briella Beers walked. Sixth-grader Kylie Gervais doubled, and Beers scored. Gervais then stole home.

In the second inning, Raymond defense nabbed a runner at home. OOB scored five runs.

Raymond brought force in the second inning after eighth-grader Caitlyn Bergsen walked. Plummer was hit by the pitch, then seventh-grader Karla Rodriguez singled and bases are loaded. Bergsen scored.

Beers walked; Plummer scored. Gervais walked and Rodriguez scored. Getchell walked and a run came in. Beers scored. After two innings OOB led 10-7.

In the fifth inning, Getchell ripped the ball deep into the outfield, rounded the bases and made it home.

In the sixth inning, Raymond sixth-grader Phinlee Afthim singled. So did eighth-grader Sarah Penna; Afthim scored.

Getchell hit another in-the-park home run in the seventh inning. Bergsen doubled.

Bergensen said overall she thought the team did very well. There were a couple things she thought they could improve on, but she was pleased with how they played.

“Our teamwork went really well, knowing that we were actually a team,” said Getchell.

Getchell has seen improvement with defense and offense. It felt really nice for her to hit two in-the-park-homeruns.

“We overachieved today,” said Raymond softball coach Jim Beers. “We haven’t had a lot of practices ... our first week of games got rained out. We’re mixing in a lot of inexperienced with some experience on our team.”

Beers said he couldn’t be happier with the outcome and is pleased they can build on that. There are little things to iron out now, little intricacies of the game; if they get those ironed out, they should be fine. <