BREWER, Maine — After losing three of its last four games, the Class A Brewer High School softball team was looking to snap out of its skid against a very good Class B Hermon team on Monday night at Coffin Field.
And the Witches did.
Sophomore righthander Sara Young tossed a seven-hit complete game and junior right fielder Olivia Bragdon gave her some valuable insurance with a two-run bases-loaded single in the sixth-inning as the Witches triumphed 6-1.
Brewer improved to 6-5 while Hermon fell to 6-3.
Young struck out seven and walked one while throwing 94 pitches, 64 for strikes.
“Today, we navigated the ball real well,” said Young. “We threw the ball around the strike zone instead of in the zone and that really worked in our favor.
“It was a good pitching day. My curve was real good on the outside corner, my change-up was good and my screwball was good on the inside corner (to righthanded hitters),” added Young.
“Sara bounced back big-time,” said Brewer coach Skip Estes, whose Witches were beaten by Camden Hills of Rockport 10-5 in their last game.
“This was one of her better games. She kept moving the ball in and out very well,” added Estes.
Brewer was holding a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth and loaded the bases on a lead-off single by Madison Shaw, a wild pitch on a strike three allowing the runner to reach first and a walk.
Starter Braelynn Wilcox was replaced by Mikelle Verrill who got the second out on a popup.
But Bragdon then rifled her single to right and when right fielder Becca Balmas misplayed it, it cleared the bases.
“The bases were loaded and I was tired, my team was tired and we were ready to go home. I wanted a big win for us,” said Bragdon, who said they have been working on hitting the ball where it’s pitched and trying to hit gaps.
“It felt good,” said Bragdon.
“That gave us a cushion. Olivia has been hitting .500 for us and her on-base percentage is over 50 percent,” said Estes.
The Hawks loaded the bases in the seventh with one out but a fly ball to right and a grounder back to Young ended it.
The Witches took a 2-0 lead in the first on a Paige Oakes single, a passed ball, Jillian Ford’s base hit, Emma Jameson’s sizzling grounder that went to the fence in right center for a run-scoring double and a dropped fly ball by center fielder Kenzie Gallant.
Brewer added another unearned run in the fourth on a one-out single by Taylor Grant, an error by first baseman Verrill who misplayed shortstop Norra Idano’s throw to first and Jordin Williams’ well-placed RBI bunt single.
Hermon baserunning blunders cost them a potentially productive inning in the second.
Addy Waning belted a double to right center field to open the inning.
Verrill then walked but ball four was in the dirt and Waning tried to advance to third but was thrown out by catcher Wiliams. Verrill then tried to reach second but was thrown out by third baseman Oakes.
Hermon scored its only run in the fourth when Molly Simcox reached on a double off the third baseman Oakes’ glove that glanced into foul territory and Waning’s RBI hit off shortstop Ford’s glove.,
Verrill followed with a single but Young made a nice play on Katie Fowler’s one-hop grounder to end the inning.
Jameson, Ford and Bragdon each had two hits for Brewer while Waning and Sophie Peterson had a pair of hits for Hermon.
“We didn’t play well today offensively or defensively,” said Hermon coach Steph Biberstein, who pointed out that her team hadn’t played in a week. “We made some mental mistakes which we hadn’t been making.
“But give them credit, the top of their order can hit the heck out of the ball,” said Biberstein.
Wilcox pitched well in defeat for Hermon and shortstop Idano and catcher Simcox turned in two defensive gems on pop-ups.
Hermon will play a makeup game at John Bapst of Bangor on Tuesday while Brewer will travel to Auburn on Wednesday to take on Edward Little at 4.
