by Will Tuell

The Machias Area Little League 11-12 girls’ softball team erupted for six runs in the fifth inning after trailing 2-0 for most of Thursday night’s fog-plagued game against Sunrise (western Washington County) to lay claim to what most observers believe is their first ever District 1 championship. Unlike their previous contests, which Machias won comfortably, the Shiretowners fell behind early and left it till their next at-bat to come surging back for the victory. 

Pitcher Aubrey Wood, who tossed a one-hitter in the team’s 11-1 victory over Calais earlier in the week after no-hitting Coastal Little League of Blue Hill the previous Friday, held her opponents where they were after surrendering both early runs. 

Hope for Machias faded as the innings went by, but in the fifth, the spark fans had hoped and prayed for came in the form of six walks from Sunrise pitching, a stolen base or two, and clutch hitting by Bella Pressley, who smacked a two-run RBI single that proved to be the fatal blow to Sunrise’s playoff aspirations. Hayden Look also drove in an insurance run later that inning. Wood, whose pitching has carried the team thus far, slammed the door shut for an improbable 6-2 victory, earning Machias a berth in the state softball championship which begins July 6.

Machias appears to have an excellent softball program as the league’s 9-10 year-olds eclipsed Sunrise 29-5 Wednesday night and followed it up with an 18-6 drubbing of Coastal (Blue Hill) Thursday night at the Elm Street Field in East Machias.