HAMPDEN, Maine — Right-hander Sarah Hammond turned in a gem on Friday afternoon.
The senior ace tossed a four-hitter, striking out 12 and not walking anybody, and junior center fielder Olivia Jensen drove in three runs with a two-run single and an RBI triple as Edward Little of Auburn blanked Hampden Academy 6-0 in a Class A North softball game.
Hammond allowed four singles, and only two Broncos got as far as second base. She threw 96 pitches of which 67 were strikes. She induced nine ground-ball outs.
Hammond struck out four Broncos in the sixth inning as one reached on a third-strike passed ball.
“My fastball was on today, and I tried to hit my spots. I did pretty well with my placement,” said Hammond. “I was pretty happy with the way I pitched.”
Her teammates also played errorless defense behind her, turning a 6-4-3 double play.
Second baseman Karli Stubbs saved a run in the second inning by ranging to her left and going down on her knees to snare Maddie Doble’s two-out grounder and throw her out with a runner on second and two outs.
“It was a full team effort today,” said Hammond. “Everybody was focused, everybody was having fun, and everybody played a good game of softball.”
“[Hammond] pretty much controlled the game. We never really got on her,” said Hampden Academy coach Rodney Wells. “She did a very good job. They’ve got a nice little team in the field, and they swing the bats well.”
“She was fast, she was accurate, and she had spin on the ball,” said Hampden Academy sophomore shortstop Brooklynn Scott.
“They had a real strong infield and that definitely helped them out,” added Hampden Academy senior outfielder Mikala Leland.
The Eddies (2-0) staged a two-out rally in the first inning to supply Hammond with the only runs she was to need.
After Hampden Academy freshman right-hander Sydney Hatch retired the first two hitters, Grace Beaudet grounded a single to left-center, Taylor Depot bounced a single to center and Jordyn Reynolds walked before Jensen punched the first pitch she saw inside the right-field line for an opposite-field, two-run single.
“I like to hit the first pitch,” said Jensen. “And we’ve been practicing a lot on pushing the ball down the right field line.”
Edward Little added an unearned run in the fourth on Maddie Thistlewaite’s base hit and stolen base, a passed ball and a fielder’s choice by Olivia Lare.
They added three more in the fifth on Depot’s single, Reynolds’ scorching RBI triple to right-center, Jensen’s long triple, also to right-center, and a wild pitch.
“I usually pull everything so that was a real good hit for me. I hit it in the right place,” said Reynolds.
Depot had two singles and scored twice to complement Jensen.
Abby Lord had two singles for Hampden Academy (1-1), and Scott and Julia Sicard also singled. Hatch pitched well in defeat as she threw an eight-hitter with three strikeouts and two walks.