BREWER — Hampden Academy senior first baseman Callie Small struggled to hit outside pitches a couple of years ago, but, with the aid of head coach Jaimee Perry, she said she has learned to hit that pitch.
The right-handed-hitting Small had two opposite-field hits off outside pitches on Monday night, including a two-run base hit that capped a four-run fourth-inning uprising that rallied the Broncos to a 4-3 Class A North win over Brewer at Coffin Field.
Junior righthander Charlee Chute pitched a six-hit complete game to earn the win, striking out 13 and walking three as the Broncos improved to 9-5. Just one of the three runs was earned.
She threw 116 pitches, of which 74 were strikes.
Hampden Academy has now won five of its last six games. The Broncos swept their two games with Brewer, beating the Witches 5-3 in Hampden on May 1.
Brewer fell to 10-5 and has lost two straight after putting together a four-game winning streak.
“I like staying back on pitches. I love outside pitches now,” Small said. “I didn’t do well with those two years ago. My coach has really helped me. I’ve been working on it for a long time.”
The Broncos were trailing 2-0 entering the fourth when freshman Cat Facchini started the rally with a sharp ground ball single to left with one out.
Kacey Gardner hit a grounder to third, and the third baseman made an errant throw to second to try to get Facchini, allowing Facchini to score.
Emily Bishop poked a single into left and two walks forced in the tying run.
Small followed by rifling a single into right to drive in the go-ahead runs. She said she was confident at the plate after singling in each of her first two at-bats.
“I’m so proud of Callie. She made me so happy,” Chute said.
Brewer had taken a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a walk, an Asianna West base hit and a throwing error on the catcher, who tried to pick West off third base.
Brewer made it 2-0 in the third on a dropped fly ball to right field and a dropped pop up by the third baseman.
Sara Young belted a long double to left for the Witches to lead off the sixth and Jordin Williams drew a one-out walk but Chute struck out the next two hitters to get out of the inning.
In the seventh, West looped a one-out single to right, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on freshman Emma Jameson’s line drive single to center with two outs.
But Chute struck out the next hitter to end the game.
“She was definitely very consistent with her pitches down the middle,” said Brewer senior shortstop Jordan Doak, who noted that Chute threw a lot of first-pitch strikes so they should have attacked her first pitch more rather than taking it for a strike.
Small’s three hits and two runs batted-in and Facchini’s two singles paced the Broncos.
West had three hits for Brewer and freshman Sara Young pitched well in defeat as only one of the runs was earned.
She tossed a seven-hitter with four strikeouts and three walks.
Both teams return to action on Tuesday as Hampden Academy visits Messalonskee of Oakland for a 4:15 p.m. game while Brewer hosts rival Bangor at 7 p.m.
