BC’s Hartman two-hits Lee Academy

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LEE – After a five-game losing streak, the Bangor Christian softball team seems to have righted itself.

On Monday the Patriots gave coach Tom Obey his 100th career win, and on Tuesday, Bangor Christian and pitcher Kara Hartman shut out Lee, the No. 1 team in the Southeastern division Class D rankings.

Hartman threw a two-hitter with 15 strikeouts and one walk to earn a 6-0 victory at Clemons Field.

Thursday’s victory means Bangor Christian wraps up its regular season with a 9-7 record and a two-game season sweep of the Pandas, who will enter the playoffs with a 12-4 mark.

“We really wanted to beat them,” said Patriot senior Danielle Miller, who hit three singles. “They’re ranked higher in the standings, but we’re the defending Eastern Maine champions.”

The game started off as a pitcher’s duel between Hartman and Lee’s Katie Harris as neither team had a run through four innings and Miller had recorded the only hit in the game. Hartman had 11 strikeouts in the first five innings, at one point fanning six in a row. She mostly used a riseball.

“We weren’t prepared for her,” said Harris, who was out sick for the first meeting with the Patriots. “I heard she threw a lot faster this time than she did last time.”

When Hartman wasn’t getting strikeouts, the defense behind her played errorless ball. Six of the seven defensive outs were flyouts.

“It’s not just all the pitcher,” said Hartman, a junior. “It’s nice to have a field that’s catching all the balls out there. So they really helped out a lot.”

The Patriots batted around and scored all six of their runs on five singles.

The first three baserunners got aboard on a walk, a single and an error. After a flyout, Annie Babineau singled to drive in Kayla Sherman. Miller hit a single to plate Monique Veilleux. Kendil Snow hit a ground ball to centerfield for BC’s third straight single, scoring Laura Hamm for a 3-0 lead.

“Sometimes we’re able to bounce back after watching her pitch a few innings, and being patient really helps,” Hartman said.

Harris struck out the next batter, but gave up another single to Sara Elliott, which allowed Babineau to score, and Miller came home on a throw to first. Snow scored on a wild pitch, and after a walk, Harris got a pop-up to end it.

Other than the fifth-inning hits, Harris allowed just three singles while striking out three and walking four.

She also showed a lot of poise at times. Faced with a bases-loaded situation in the sixth inning, with one out and the middle of the order up, she induced a flyout and a groundout to end that threat.

“I pitch the same exact way to every team,” she said. “It doesn’t make a difference to me.”

Deidra Ham and Kristen Hersom each singled for Lee’s two hits.

PATRIOTS 6, PANDAS 0

Bangor Christian (9-7) Lee (12-4)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Niles, cf 4 0 0 0 Harris, p 2 0 0

Babineau, 2b 4 1 1 1 D. Ham, 2b 3 0 0

Miller, 1b 4 1 3 1 Keuster, 3b 3 0 0

Snow, c 4 1 1 1 Pickering, c 3 0 0

Hartman, p 3 0 0 0 Mallett, lf 3 0 0

a-French 0 0 0 0 Hersom, 1b 2 0 0

Elliott, dh 3 0 1 1 b-Boulrisse 1 0 0

Holmes, lf 0 0 0 0 Linscott, ss 1 0 0

Sherman, ss 2 1 0 0 c-Bouchard 1 0 0

Veilleux, 3b 4 1 1 0 MacDonald, cf 1 0 0

Hamm, rf 4 1 1 0 d-Cote 1 0 0 0

Gifford, rf 2 0 0 0

Totals 32 6 8 4 Totals 23 0 2 0

a-ran for Hartman in the fourth; b-struck out for Hersom in the fifth; c-struck out for Linscott in the fifth; d-struck out for MacDonald in the fifth

Bangor Christian 000 060 0 ?6

Lee 000 000 0 ?0

E?Linscott 2, Gifford 2; LOB?Bangor Christian 9, Lee

Bangor Christian IP H R ER BB SO

Hartman (W, 9-7) 7 2 0 0 1 15

Lee IP H R ER BB SO

Hartman (L, 12-3) 7 8 6 3 4 3

WP?Hartman, Harris; PB?Pickering; T?1:29; ATT? 45