WATERVILLE — The last time Gardiner (15-2) and Oceanside (15-2) gathered on the softball diamond, the Lady Tigers left Thomaston with a 3-2 victory, one of only two losses the Lady Mariners suffered during the regular season. 

The teams met once again on the diamond Saturday, June 3, but this time in Waterville for the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B Softball Championship.

In the end though, Oceanside dominated the Lady Tigers by a final score of 9-2. 

The Oceanside softball team is comprised of Haylie Witham (senior; center field), Casey Benner (senior; second base), Lauren Hatch (senior; third base and center field), Abby Veilleux (sophomore; catcher), Casey Pine (junior; shortstop), Alexis Mazurek (senior; first base), Hannah Moholland (sophomore; right field), Rachael Joyce (sophomore; second base), Kalli Grover (sophomore; left field), Chloe Jones (sophomore; pitcher) and Morgan Heal (sohpomore; third base and left field). Rusty Worcester is the team’s head coach and is assisted by Rachel Campbell and Mike McGuire. 

Oceanside plated a run in the second, three in the third, one in the sixth and four in the seventh inning. Gardiner plated its lone two runs in the sixth inning. 

In the pitcher’s circle for Oceanside was Jones who pitched a complete game, fanned eight batters and walked four. 

In the pitcher’s circle for Gardiner were Jill Bisson (one inning, one strikeout) and Maggie Bell (six innings, two strikeouts). 

At the plate for Oceanside, Mazurek pounded two singles, a double and three RBIs while Veilleux and Pine each ripped a pair of singles. Moholland blasted a triple and a RBI while Jones smashed a triple of her own. Hatch plated a RBI on a sacrifice fly. 

At the plate for Gardiner, Jazmin Clary ripped a single and had a RBI. 

“[We] played a good game today,” Oceanside head coach Rusty Worcester said after the win. “Alexis Mazurek once again lead the way hitting. Hannah Moholland had a big day with a triple [and] threw out [two] Gardiner runners trying to stretch a single into a double.  She threw two strikes to [Casey] Pine covering second base from deep right field right on the line. Abby Veilleux had two hits and two stolen bases at the top of our order. She makes us go when she gets on base things happen. [I’m] [v]ery proud of the girls they worked hard all year and are playing well at the right time. This was a big game it had playoff atmosphere which is good [because] the kids [get] to learn to play under pressure. We had tremendous fan support as well would like to thank all the fans for coming to our game and supporting us all year.”

The Lady Mariners earned a bye for the preliminary round of the Class B softball playoffs and are slated to play a home regional quarterfinal game Thursday, June 8 against the winner of the Medomak Valley-Caribou showdown. 

Reach George Harvey and the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com. 

This article was originally published June 3 at 6:45 p.m. before being updated with statistics at 9:45 p.m.