OLD TOWN, Maine — Hermon High School senior center fielder Deanna Phipps hadn’t hit a home run entering this season.
She hit her first one earlier this spring and belted a pair on Tuesday as the Hawks topped Old Town 9-1 in a battle of undefeated Class B North softball teams.
Hermon is now 7-0 while Old Town fell to 6-1.
Phipps hit a solo homer in the third inning and a three-run shot in the fifth before capping her day with a triple in the sixth inning. She finished with RBIs.
Senior lefty Karli Theberge tossed a four-hit complete game to improve her record to 5-0. She struck out eight, walked two and hit a batter while throwing 93 pitches, 65 for strikes.
“This feels awesome,” said Phipps. “The rest of the team is working hard and I just want to do my best for them.
“I’ve just been focusing on the center of the ball and following through — weight forward,” added Phipps.
“Deanna has been seeing the ball well,” Hermon coach Megan McCrum said. “She apparently worked out in the off-season. She has gotten pretty strong and she goes up there with a good attitude and confidence and she has been hitting the ball hard.”
Hermon built a 4-0 lead with single runs in the first and third innings and a pair in the second off freshman starting pitcher Olivia Albert.
The Hawks broke the game open with four in the fifth.
In the first inning, Hermon’s Laura Zenk reached on an infield single and scored when Theberge belted an opposite field double over left fielder Caitlyn King’s head.
In the second inning, Sydney Addessi singled, went to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on Breanne Oakes’ single and scored on Chloe Raymond’s sacrifice bunt. Oakes eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Phipps homered to center field with one out in the third.
In the fifth, Katie Windsor and Zenk hit back-to-back singles before Phipps hit the first pitch over the fence in right center field. The fourth run scored on Raymond’s sacrifice fly.
Old Town junior catcher Natalie St. Louis said Phipps earned her home runs because both pitches were well-placed by Albert.
“[Albert] hit her spots but [Phipps] just had nice swings on them,” said St. Louis.
Theberge was satisfied with her outing.
“I threw well. My curve and screwball were good. I stayed on the inside and outside planes,” she said. “My defense was really key in the win today.”
The Hawks made just two errors and Theberge made one of them.
“You know she’s going to be around the plate and she mixes her pitches up very well,” said Old Town coach Jenn Plourde.
Phipps was one of four repeat hitters for the Hawks.
Theberge had a single to go with her double and Zenk and Oakes each had a pair of singles.
St. Louis had a double for the Coyotes while Caitlyn King, Olivia King and Mikayla Richards had singles.