HERMON, Maine — Hampden Academy senior pitcher Charlee Chute said her stomach didn’t feel well before Wednesday’s regular season softball finale against Hermon High.
But you wouldn’t have known it.
Chute tossed a masterful three-hitter, striking out 10 and walking just one, to lead the Class A Broncos to a 3-0 win over their Class B rivals.
Hampden Academy concluded its regular season with a 12-4 record and will be the third seed for the Class A North playoffs with a quarterfinal home date against sixth seed Messalonskee of Oakland, 10-6, on Thursday, June 6.
Messalonskee won the only regular season game with Hampden Academy, 9-8, on April 29 in Oakland.
Hermon wound up fourth in the Class B North Heal Points standings with a 10-6 record and will entertain fifth seed Belfast, 12-4, in a quarterfinal on June 6.
The teams didn’t meet during the regular season.
Chute retired the first 10 hitters she faced and allowed only three baserunners to get as far as second.
Two of them did so in the fourth inning when she pitched out of a jam as the Hawks had runners on first-and-third with one out and second-and-third with two outs.
But she registered two strikeouts to pitch out of it.
And she was backed throughout by a stellar defensive performance from her teammates, who made just one error.
“I had a rough start. I felt like I was going to puke,” said Chute. “I didn’t have a lot of energy. But I had to work through it. I used my mental softball IQ to stay ahead.
“I fought the best I could. The defense was great,” Chute added.
“Charlee did a phenomenal job. She came out strong and finished strong,” said first-year Broncos head coach Deb Colpitts.
Hermon second baseman Ava Dean, who was honored before the game as the team’s only senior, said Chute was one of the better pitchers they’ve faced this year.
Chute also aided her own cause with a lead-off single to left center field to trigger a two-run first-inning rally.
Chute raced to third when Kiera Gabric lined a single to right center. Gabric dashed to second on the throw to third.
Meghan Delahanty delivered Chute with a ground ball to second and Cat Facchini knocked in Gabric with a clutch two-out, line drive single to right center.
Addie Worster followed with a long double to center field but Hermon coach Steph Biberstein replaced starting pitcher Braelynn Wilcox with sophomore lefty Mikelle Verrill, who induced a fly ball to end the inning.
Verrill went on to hurl a gem in relief, allowing only two hits and one run over 6 ⅓ innings with three strikeouts and one walk. She threw an economical 63 pitches of which 41 were strikes.
The only run she gave up came in the third when Gabric stroked a triple to left center field and scored on Facchini’s sharp RBI ground ball to first.
“Our team goal was to get up early in the game,” said Gabric.
“We have struggled to come out first thing and put runs up,” said Chute. “We usually wait until the fifth inning. So that was a big goal and I’m glad we were able to achieve that.”
Hermon’s threat in the fourth resulted from Wilcox’s bunt single, her stolen base and Addy Waning’s crisp single to center.
But Chute struck out the next hitter and, after pinch-runner Elena Walker stole second, she posted another strikeout to end the inning.
Kenzie Gallant reached on a two-out throwing error in the fifth but, again, Chute struck out the next hitter.
Gabric and Worster were HA’s only repeat hitters with two apiece and Gabric’s triple and Worster’s double were the game’s only extra-base hits.
Wilcox had two base hits for Hermon.
“(Chute) pitched well but we’re struggling to hit right now,” said Hermon coach Biberstein. “We hit the ball hard in practice but, when we get into games, they change their swings a little bit because they’re trying to do too much. They have to stay within themselves and do what they’re able to do.
“We have to put the ball in play, hit it hard and make the (opponent) have to make good plays,” Biberstein added.
Hermon has lost four of its last seven games and scored a total of only six runs in those four setbacks.
Biberstein was pleased with Verrill and the defense.
“Mikelle did a really nice job in the circle and we played well, defensively,” said Biberstein. “The nice part is now everybody is 0-0 at this point and it’s a new day tomorrow.”
