BREWER, Maine — The Brewer High School Witches received an economical three-hit, complete game from senior righthander Sara Young and took advantage of fielding miscues by the Bangor High School Rams to earn a 4-1 Class A North victory at Coffin Field Friday night.
The Witches backed Young with an impressive defensive performance to improve to 3-2 and earn their first home win in three games at Coffin Field.
Bangor fell to 3-3.
Young struck out five and walked one while throwing just 82 pitches, 60 for strikes.
“I think I pitched very well tonight,” said Young. “Everything was working really well. My change-up was definitely hitting the spots, my curveball is always on and my riseball is a great one for when you’re up in the count and just want someone to chase it.”
“We didn’t make many errors today, Sara pitched her best game of the season and we finally had everybody here tonight,” said Brewer coach Skip Estes, noting that he had been missing players in previous games.
The Witches had only one error and made a number of good plays.
“We played such solid defense tonight. I’m really proud of my team,” said Young. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that game without them. Their defense was stellar. It’s all on them, to be honest.
“It was a great game, the defense played so well,” Young added.
The Witches took a lead they would never relinquish in the first inning.
Jillian Ford led off the bottom of the first inning with an infield single into the shortstop hole and she continued to second on a throwing error by the shortstop.
Madi Shaw delivered her with a double to left center field.
“It was a low, inside pitch and I dipped down a little bit (to hit it). I’m glad I made contact,” said Shaw.
Following a groundout, a walk to Young, a stolen base by courtesy runner Kendellyn Asay and a strikeout, a two-out fly ball to left was dropped which allowed Shaw and Asay to score.
Brewer made it 4-0 in the third when a fly ball was misplayed into a double for Young and courtesy runner Asay went to third on a groundout and scored on a two-out wild pitch.
Bangor scored its only run in the fourth when Kaylee Folsom tripled over the right fielder’s head and scored on Emma Tripp’s groundout.
Abby Folsom, Kaylee’s twin, belted a long one-out double to center field but Young got a groundout and strikeout to end the threat.
Young retired 11 of the final 12 hitters she faced with a shortstop throwing error enabling the one runner to reach base.
It was Brewer’s only error of the game.
“We made errors in the field and that’s what led to the score today,” said Bangor coach Sophia Sciarappa. “If you give teams extra outs, they’re going to capitalize.
“We hit some balls hard right at people and they made the plays,” added Sciarappa, who was pleased with the pitching performances turned in by junior Tripp and sophomore Kaylee Folsom, who each pitched three innings.
Tripp allowed four hits and all four runs, two earned, through three innings with four strikeouts and two walks and Folsom gave up two hits and no runs with three strikeouts sand one walk.
Senior center fielder Shaw had a single to go with her double and senior left fielder Olivia Gilmore had two singles for the Witches.
Sophomore second baseman Maddie Hessert’s single was the only other Bangor hit to go with Kaylee Folsom’s triple and her sister Abby’s double.
Bangor will travel to Hampden Academy for a 7 p.m. game on Monday while Brewer will host Nokomis of Newport at 4:30 on that same day.
