CASTLETON — There were moments Saturday evening when it seemed likely that three decades of softball heartbreak were going to continue for Missisquoi Union High School.
The program with three one-run championship losses since last winning it all in 1994 fell behind early, rallied once just to have that lead undone, then took the lead again before yielding two unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh to go to extra innings against No. 2 Mt. Anthony.
Then things, at long last, went the right way for the No. 5 Thunderbirds. A run from a Mt. Anthony error in the top of the eighth proved the difference in the Division I final and this time it was MVU winning a one-run title game, 8-7 over the Patriots to secure the program’s fourth championship.
“It wasn’t pretty today, but it doesn’t have to be,” said MVU coach Bill Sheets, who took over the Thunderbird program last season when Jay Hartman retired after nearly 40 years and more than 500 wins.
“That’s why you make the finals. This was not one of our most beautiful games played, but at the end of the day we got it done and got our first Division I banner in 30 years.”
The T-Birds boasted 2024’s Gatorade Player of the Year, Molly Medor, in the circle, but the Patriots weren’t intimidated. Trying to atone for a championship loss last year, MAU got off to a hot start with a leadoff double from Taeya Guetti and an RBI triple from Allee George behind her. Guetti later scored on an error to give the Patriots a 2-0 lead after the first.
“As our coach said, there’s always going to be ups and downs in every game, so we just have to trust in our skills,” Medor said. “And I just trusted in my team and trusted in my stuff. I knew at the end that we all wanted it so badly we were going to go all out for everything.”
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After a pair of excellent plays from Sierra Reynolds at first base in the second inning slowed MAU’s momentum, Missisquoi battled back in the third with back-to-back doubles from Lillianna Fournier and Addy Longway. Medor singled in Longway to knot the score at 2-2 before her courtesy runner, Avery Guyette, scored on a Molly Gagne single to give MVU a 3-2 lead.
That lead was short lived, as Guetti and George each knocked a single to lead off the third and both came around on a triple by Mia Paligo. Paligo crossed home to make it a 5-3 Mt. Anthony lead on a single by Patriot pitcher Abby Foster.
The fourth and fifth innings were the scoreless ones most expected to see between two teams which had combined for 14 shutouts and just 10 games with more than one run allowed this year.
Both pitchers were excellent throughout their eight innings of work. Medor yielded four earned runs, nine hits and two walks while striking out eight. Foster surrendered eight hits, four earned runs and three walks to go with 13 strikeouts.
“It felt amazing,” Medor said of tossing the final pitch of a championship win. “And it feels even better having the whole community here to support us.”
Fate looked to be turning MVU’s way in the sixth when Josie Maguire drew a leadoff walk and Fournier reached on an error. The pair scored on a two-strike double from Longway to knot the score at 5-5. Longway gave MVU the lead on a Kerri Campbell double and Campbell added an insurance run on a wild pitch.
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Medor made it safely through the bottom of the sixth and Foster retired the T-Birds in order to start the seventh, leaving Missisquoi three outs from a long-awaited trophy. But all the playoff pain from the last three decades came back in the seventh. After a quick out, MAU put consecutive batters on base via MVU errors and they scored on a ground out and infield single to send the contest to an eighth inning.
Sheets said he cares far more about the result Saturday than any imperfections during those eight innings. In addition to ending the year with a trophy, MVU avenged its only two regular season sweeps in nearly flawless postseason wins over those same schools (No. 4 St. Johnsbury and No. 1 BFA-St. Albans).
“We had two really good games to get here. And you can’t win it if you don’t get here, it doesn’t have to be pretty. Super proud of the ladies for putting a banner on the wall after 30 long years.”
Two quick strikeouts from Foster did little to inspire the Missisquoi faithful that a happy ending was coming. But Longway drew a two-out walk before stealing second and third without a throw at either base. Campbell followed and worked the count full, fouling off a few pitches for good measure before getting one she could put in play. It was now Mt. Anthony’s turn to make a mistake, dropping a fly ball to let Longway score and make it an 8-7 MVU lead.
Asked about his overt gesturing for Longway to steal those bases, Sheets said his freshman had missed a sign. But, he noted, despite that lapse and some early struggles in the outfield, Longway and her teammates found a way on Saturday.
“That’s an example of resiliency. She battled back, she hit the ball very well,” Sheets said of Longway, who led MVU with three hits, three RBI and three runs scored.
Guetti matched Longway’s game-high with her third hit in the bottom of the eighth, but that was all the Patriots could Muster. A fly ball to right field was the final play in MVU’s first championship since long before any of the current players were born.
“It’s just the greatest feeling ever,” Longway said. “Especially coming from a small school and seeing all these people come support us is such an amazing feeling.”
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This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont high school softball: Missisquoi claims 1st title in 30 years