BANGOR, Maine — Bangor High School freshman Madi Drake missed the first month of the season after dislocating her kneecap on the first day of tryouts.
The left fielder made her second start on Wednesday night and went 4-for-4 with three runs batted in to lead the Rams to a 9-2 victory over Hampden Academy.
Bangor (7-2) snapped Hampden Academy’s four-game winning streak. The Broncos fell to 5-4.
“I’ve been really anxious to play,” said Drake. “I just concentrated on making contact. It feels good (to have a four-hit game).”
Drake broke a 1-1 tie with a two-out, two-run single in the third inning.
Jenna Bishop started the rally by slapping an opposite-field double into left-center and she went to third on Page Cadorette’s ground-ball single to center. Cadorette continued to second on the throw to the infield. Both scored when Drake hit a high-bounding single past freshman pitcher Sydney Hatch’s glove.
Drake scored on Lindy Bezgembluk’s opposite-field double into the right-center-field gap.
Authoritative doubles into left-center by Emily Gilmore and Megan Conner made it 5-1 in the fourth.
Singles by Madeline Doble, Brooklynn Scott and Paige Yost (RBI) produced a sixth-inning run for Hampden Academy but winning pitcher Sarah Bragg gave herself some breathing room with her fifth homer of the season, a three-run shot to left, in the bottom of the sixth.
Senior right-hander Bragg went the distance, scattering six hits while striking out three and not walking anyone. She threw 82 pitches of which 61 were strikes.
“My fastball was working today. I threw my fastball most of the time,” said Bragg. “Our defense was awesome. They really helped me.”
The Rams made a number of impressive plays behind her, including a terrific catch by catcher Emma Payne, who darted out of her crouch and dove full-length to snare Emily Dysart’s pop-up down the first-base line as she rolled over.
Shortstop Kes Lavoie and third baseman Conner also shone defensively.
Bangor took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Payne’s slicing, opposite-field triple to right and Bragg’s infield hit.
The Broncos tied it in the third on singles by Courtney Dunton, Abby Lord and Julia Sicard (RBI).
Bragg’s sixth-inning homer followed singles by Conner and Payne and the Rams added another run later in the inning on Drake’s RBI single.
“I knew it was going to go out when I hit it,” said Bragg, who will attend Bangor’s Husson University in the fall.
“That (homer) was a real game-changer for them,” said Hampden Academy’s Lord, a senior second baseman and tri-captain.
Bangor pounded out 16 hits.
In addition to Drake’s four hits, Bragg had a single to go with her homer and she knocked in four runs. Payne had a single to go with her triple and Gilmore, Conner and Bishop each had a double and a single.
“They really put a lot of pressure on you with their bats. They have a lot of strong hitters,” said Hampden Academy coach Rodney Wells. “They wear you down.”
Hampden received singles from six different players and all of the Broncos’ hits came in the third and sixth innings.