Washington Academy softball is 6-0 after years of losing records

The Washington Academy softball team from East Machias hasn’t had a lot of success in recent years.

The Class C North Raiders were 2-14 a year ago and entered this season with a 10-70 regular season record over the previous five seasons including back-to-back 0-16 seasons in the middle of it.

But the Raiders are off to a 6-0 start and will look for a seventh straight win at Dover-Foxcroft against Foxcroft Academy at noon on Saturday.

And they have just one senior on the roster so the future looks bright.

The difference-maker for the Raiders has been sophomore pitcher Bella Cirone, who pitched for Narraguagus High in Harrington last spring before transferring to WA.

Cirone has struck out 65 in 31 innings and the Raiders haven’t allowed more than four runs in any of their six wins.

The Raiders’ list of victories includes a 15-3 triumph over a Class B Mount Desert Island team that owns a 9-4 victory over a good Class A Hampden Academy team.

Second-year head coach Josh Cates said Cirone not only has a lively arm, she also “hits her spots and has good offspeed pitches.”

Cirone’s mother, Ashley (Woodward) Cirone, was the 2002 Maine State Gatorade Player of the Year at Narraguagus High School. She was a pitcher-first baseman.

Ashley Cirone coaches in the Gray-based New England Elite Softball program and her daughter plays in the program.

“I knew we were going to have a very solid team and now we have pitching,” said Cates, who is assisted by Kate Keeton.

Cates had a senior-heavy team a year ago but some of his younger players received some important playing time and they are flourishing this season.

While the Raiders have allowed just 14 runs in six games thanks to Cirone, they have also supported her with the bats.

The Raiders have scored 80 runs and Cates said they have a “well-rounded hitting team” that also has speed and runs the bases aggressively.

Their leading hitter is their only senior, center fielder Sadie Story.

She is hitting .562 and is leading the team in runs scored with 17.

Junior first baseman Grace Dennison is hitting .500 and has driven in five runs; junior shortstop Avery Cates, his daughter, is hitting .412 and is second in runs scored with 12 and sophomore third baseman Avery Libby leads the team in RBIs with 10 to go with her .391 average.

Story is tops in stolen bases with six with but Cirone, sophomore second baseman Lily Hennessey, Cates and Libby are also stolen base threats.

Cates, a former basketball and baseball player at Washington Academy, said his defense is “very solid.”

The other starters are sophomore catcher Meadow Rohde, sophomore left fielder Grace Howard and junior right fielder Rachel Keeton.

The four players who round out the roster are freshmen Aubrey Faulkingham, an outfielder-first baseman, and outfielders Ellie Ampuja and Caitie Neal along with sophomore outfielder Marin Norton.

The Raiders will be battle-tested going into the Class C North playoffs.

In a span of seven days, they will play defending C North champ Bucksport twice and Orono once.

Entering Friday’s games, Bucksport was 5-1 with its only loss coming to Class B North contender Ellsworth, 9-8, and Orono was 4-1 with its only setback coming to Bucksport, 6-2.

The Raiders will host Orono for a May 20 game at 4:30 p.m. and entertain Bucksport two days later for another 4:30 game before traveling to Bucksport for a 1 p.m. game on May 27.