North Yarmouth Academy softball clubs its way to Class D title

[ **Our Communities. Our Teams. Our Future. **We’re proud to make high school sports coverage free for everyone, because these moments matter. At Maine State Credit Union, we’re here for the people and places that make Maine strong. Let’s go! Learn more at **[mainestatecu.org](http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=7274124606&iu=/6119)**.   Senior captains from left, Jordan Nash, Cami Casserly and Isabelle Hinkley hold the championship trophy after North Yarmouth Academy beat Penobscot Valley 14-4 to win the Class D title on Saturday in Standish. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer) [Purchase this image](https://dev.mainetodaymedia.com/smugmug/upload.php?data=%7B%22src%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.pressherald.com%5C%2Fwp-content%5C%2Fuploads%5C%2Fsites%5C%2F4%5C%2F2026%5C%2F06%5C%2F43658604_20260620_NYA-Penobscot-State-Soft_13.jpg%22%2C%22caption%22%3A%22Senior%20captains%20from%20left%2C%20Jordan%20Nash%2C%20Cami%20Casserly%20and%20Isabelle%20Hinkley%20hold%20the%20championship%20trophy%20after%20North%20Yarmouth%20Academy%20beat%20Penobscot%20Valley%2014-4%20to%20win%20the%20Class%20D%20title%20on%20Saturday%20in%20Standish.%20%28Daryn%20Slover%5C%2FStaff%20Photographer%29%22%7D) View 13 photos STANDISH — The North Yarmouth Academy softball team couldn’t have asked for a better start to its Class D state final Saturday afternoon. Sparked by a 10-run first inning, the Panthers beat Penobscot Valley 14-4 in six innings to win the Class D championship at Bailey Field on the campus of St. Joseph’s College. “It feels really good,” said NYA senior Isabelle Hinkley, whose two-run single in the sixth ended the game via the mercy rule. “It’s a great way to end senior year.” Cami Casserly had two doubles and an RBI for the Panthers (18-1). Lily Fortin drove in two runs with a triple and a single and also earned the win in the circle, striking out nine batters. It’s the third state championship in the last four seasons for NYA. The program was revived in 2021 after being dormant for a decade, and didn’t play a varsity schedule in 2022. “We go with what we have, and we just build,” said NYA coach Ricky Doyon. “We start with fundamentals and just build. During the season, we build a little bit more. It’s a season-long process, but that’s what it’s about. Advertisement North champion Penobscot Valley, of Howland, finished 17-1. Lauren Veino had two hits, including a double, and two RBI for the Howlers. Paxton King also finished with two hits. NYA smacked eight hits in the first inning and took advantage of two Penobscot Valley errors. The inning was highlighted by a two-run double by Abby Sweeney and a two-run single by Mia Desgrosseilliers. “We needed that,” Doyon said. “Everything went our way (offensively), and you need that to happen. We had some good hits and we were aggressive on the bases.” The Howlers responded with four runs in the third inning, led by a two-run double from Veino. A two-run single in the bottom of the third by Fortin gave the Panthers a 12-4 lead. Three innings later, Hinkley’s base hit up the middle drove in Fortin and Casserly, invoking the 10-run rule. Veino, a senior, pitched all six innings for the Howlers. She struck out three and walked four while throwing 132 pitches, 76 for strikes. Advertisement “This group of girls is just not going to give up,” said Penobscot Valley coach Jessica McKechnie. “If you take the first inning away, it’s a 4-4 game. The first inning … I guess I really don’t know what happened. (NYA) found a lot of gaps and we didn’t have Lauren’s back as we have all year, and they took advantage. In the state game, when you take advantage (like that), it’s going to be hard to come back from that. But they fought.” Fortin, a sophomore, allowed seven hits and walked four. Out of her 121 pitches, 75 were strikes. NYA finished the season on a 12-game winning streak. The Panthers’ lone loss was against Class C Old Orchard Beach on May 4. “Coming off last year’s loss at regionals, we knew it was going to be (a tough year),” said Casserly, a senior catcher. “No one expected us to do what we did, and we had some new players. I’m just really proud of how we grew and came back from a loss like that.” The game was halted for 15 minutes in the first inning, as the field’s sprinkler system muddied the pitcher’s circle. Maine Principals’ Association executive director Mike Burnham and assistant executive director Mike Bisson helped rake the area in an effort to dry it out. Burnham is retiring from his role at the end of the month, and Bisson will be the organization’s new executive director. Copy the Story Link Tagged: [nya panthers](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/nya-panthers/), [penobscot valley howlers](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/penobscot-valley-howlers/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/dave-dyer) [Dave DyerStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/dave-dyer) Dave Dyer is in his second stint with the Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel. Dave was previously with the company from 2012-2015 and returned in late 2016. He spent most of 2016 doing freelance sports. 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