HERMON, Maine — Hermon High School senior second baseman Claire Petersen has returned to the right side of the batter’s box after two years as a left-handed slap hitter and it looks like it may pay dividends.
Petersen, the leadoff hitter for the defending Class B state champs, tripled and doubled and drove in a pair of runs to lead the Hawks to a five-inning 16-0 win over Ellsworth on Tuesday afternoon.
It was Hermon’s opener, while Ellsworth fell to 0-2.
Petersen hit right-handed as a freshman before becoming a left-handed slap hitter as a sophomore and junior.
“She didn’t have much confidence as a slap hitter so I told her this year to do what she wanted. I wanted her to be confident up there,” said Hermon coach Megan McCrum. “She’s obviously a strong girl. She’s going to play Division I soccer [at Jacksonville State, Alabama].
“She has done a better job seeing the ball and has adjusted her swing a little. She’s been doing a great job,” added McCrum.
“I wanted to hit righty again. It was fun today,” said Petersen, who couldn’t recall hitting a triple and double in the same game during her high school career.
“We were so happy about that. She’s been doing great,” said Hermon junior pitcher Karli Theberge, who hurled five innings of five-hit ball on the blustery, rainy day to notch the win.
Theberge aided her own cause with a double and a single and three RBIs.
Kylie Kennedy drove in four runs with a three-run homer to right center and a run-producing sacrifice bunt, Deanna Phipps tripled and singled and knocked in a pair of runs, and Jaelen Albert and Sydney Addessi added a pair of singles and an RBI apiece.
Freshman Shelby Cote had a pair of singles for Ellsworth.
Hermon staked lefty Theberge to a four-run lead in the first inning and added three more in the second.
Petersen’s double to left triggered the first-inning rally. She stole third and scored on Phipps’ grounder which was misplayed for an error.
Phipps moved to second on a wild pitch and Theberge singled her home.
A fielder’s choice and a walk later, Kennedy’s bunt and Emily Perley’s single drove in the final two runs.
In the second, an error, Phipps’ single and Theberge’s two-run double to center made it 6-0 before another run scored during a rundown between first and second.
Petersen tripled in a third-inning run and Kennedy’s homer highlighted an eight-run fourth inning rally.
Theberge struck out one and walked two during her stint.
She threw 61 pitches, 41 for strikes.
“I could have done a little better but I was pretty happy because we came out with a win. That’s all that matters,” said Theberge. “We didn’t have the best conditions out there but I have great teammates behind me and we pulled through. Our whole team contributed. It was good to get a game in.”
Hermon’s original season opener against Old Town was rained out last week.
“We were excited. We hit well and we were pleased with that,” said Petersen.
Ellsworth coach Rick Roberts, whose team made four errors, said Hermon was a good team and his didn’t play very well.
“You can’t give a team like that extra outs,” he said. “When you aren’t making routine plays and they’re hitting the ball, you’re going to have a long day.
“We’re absolutely better than this but we came out flat,” he added.