Herrick, Beem spark Dexter past Central for C North softball crown
By Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News Staff
BREWER — Cheyenne Beem has had a lot on her mind this week.
Even with the Dexter Regional High School softball team chasing another Class C North title, the senior catcher has been understandably preoccupied.
Her family endured a scare earlier in the week when her dad, Robert Beem, suffered a stroke. But the medical emergency didn’t prevent the senior catcher and her family from enjoying the June 17 evening Class C North championship game.
CLASS C NORTH CHAMPS — Dexter softball won the 2021 Class C North championship with a 3-0 victory over Central on June 17 at Brewer High School. The Tigers won the program’s second consecutive regional crown (there was no softball season in 2020) to advance to the state championship against fellow regional No. 1 seed Hall-Dale of Farmingdale.
Beem cranked a game-changing, two-run double in the fourth inning — with her father cheering from the sidelines — as top-seeded Dexter beat No. 2 Central High School of Corinth 3-0 at Brewer High School’s Coffin Field.
“It’s been emotional but you know these girls are like sisters,” Beem said. “They’ve all been there for me and it’s been great. I love each and every one of them.”
Head coach Jason Hardy’s squad claimed its second straight regional crown and earned a spot in the state championship game two days later at St. Joseph’s College in Standish. Dexter (the Tigers improved to 15-2 with the team’s 14th consecutive win) was set to face South champion and top seed Hall-Dale High School of Farmingdale (16-0), a 3-0 winner over No. 2 Madison Area Memorial High School on June 17.
HANDED THE HARDWARE — Senior pitcher Avery Herrick holds the Class C North championship plaque with the rest of the team following Dexter’s 3-0 victory over Central. The Tigers won the team’s 14th straight game and earned the team’s third victory of the season over Central.
The state championship berth is the fourth overall in program history as Dexter also played in the 2011 Class C game and 1985 Class B championship.
The Tigers were the regional champions in 2019, but the 2020 season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years ago Madison earned a 7-1 win over Dexter at St. Joseph’s for the 2019 Class C crown.
Senior Avery Herrick set the tone in the circle for Dexter by pitching an efficient four-hit shutout. The right-hander spaced four singles while striking out nine and did not issue a walk.
WHO HAS IT? — Dexter senior Avery Herrick makes the catch next to freshman Hannah Dean near third, with senior shortstop Peyton Grant looking on, during the top of the first. Herrick tossed seven shutout innings, with no runs and zero walks while scattering four singles and striking out nine.
“She can hit her spots very well, so we work up, work down,” Hardy said. “We’re able to capitalize on her abilities, with her control, keep hitters off balance.”
Herrick pitched around three errors as the Tigers beat the Red Devils (14-4) for the third time this season. Dexter won the previous meetings 2-0 in Central on May 6 and 4-2 in Dexter on June 1.
TWO-RUN DOUBLE — Senior Cheyenne Beem stands at second after hitting a double to drive in a pair of runs in the home half of the fourth.
“It’s frustrating because we have such a hard time laying off the high ones, which she throws like every few pitches, and then she’s got her changeup,” Central senior Kaelyn Parks said.
Parks, a hard-throwing right-hander, took the loss. She surrendered six hits, fanned nine and also did not issue a walk.
However, Dexter was able to come up with key hits and cash in on a couple of scoring opportunities.
BUNT SINGLE — Sophomore Jilean Poliquin bunts her way on base in the bottom of the fifth on June 17. Two batters later Poliquin scored Dexter’s third and final run.
The Tigers broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning. Senior Peyton Grant led off by reaching on an error on a ball hit toward the middle. Herrick followed with an infield single to the shortstop hole.
One out later, Beem belted an 0-2 pitch from Parks to center field that hit halfway up the fence. It scored Grant and Herrick to make it 2-0.
“It was awesome. I started to cry,” Beem said. “My dad hasn’t been great, the past few days, in the hospital and he’s here today, so I was really hoping that it would be gone for him, for him to watch, but it’s OK, we did it.”
Parks retired the next two batters to avoid further damage.
DIGGING IN THE DIRT — Dexter junior Elizabeth Kinney stretches for the throw at first to get Central junior Britni Grant out in the fourth.
Dexter added an insurance run in the fifth. With one out, sophomore Jilean Poliquin slapped a bunt that deflected off the third baseman’s glove for a single and she stole second on the next pitch.
One out later, Grant punched an opposite-field single to right field to score Poliquin.
“It’s hard, because they’re such good hitters,” Parks said of the Tigers. “They put it in play.”
Herrick pitched her way out of a couple of jams to keep Central off the scoreboard.
In the second inning, after two were out, junior Bayley Casavant poked an opposite-field single to right. Senior Brooke Lunt followed with a bunt single along the first-base line, but Casavant was tagged out after straying off the bag after rounding second.
The Red Devils threatened again in the fourth when freshman Izzy Allen scorched a one-out single to center field and took second when the ball got past the center fielder.
Herrick got a called third strike for the second out, but senior Gabby Poulin ripped a hot infield single off the glove of the third baseman and alertly took second as Allen drew the fielders’ attention by dancing along the third-base line.
Herrick induced a groundout to escape the jam, then retired nine of the last 11 batters she faced. Two reached on fielding errors.
The Piscataquis Observer’s Stuart Hedstrom contributed to this story.
SOFTBALL
Class C North
championship
No 1. Dexter 3
No. 2 Central 0
CEN 000 000 0 | 0
DEX 000 210 X | 3
Central (14-4): Allen 1-2
SB; Casavant 1-3; Lunt
1-3; Poulin 1-3
Dexter (15-2): Beem 1-2
2B two RBI SB;
Grant 1-2 RBI run;
Poliquin 1-2 run SB;
Dean 1-3 SB;
Herrick 1-3 run;
Lewis 1-3
WP Herrick 7 IP 0 runs
4 hits 0 BB 9 K
LP Parks 6 IP 3 runs
6 hits 0 BB 9 K
LOB — Cen 5
Dex 4