BREWER – The Hampden softball team got an early jump on Brewer in Thursday evening’s game at Coffin Field.

But with the way the Witches hit, moved runners, played flawless defense, and got another stellar pitching performance from Sarah DeFilipp, it wasn’t enough.

Brewer rallied from a rare early deficit and DeFilipp pitched a five-hitter with eight strikeouts for an 8-1 victory at Coffin Field.

The Witches are now 11-2 with big matchups against Ellsworth and Class A rival Bangor left on the schedule. Hampden fell to 2-10.

The Broncos started out in promising fashion: Cheryl Morris led off the game with a double and scored on a double by Evon Hudspeth, who is the No. 2 batter.

But DeFilipp struck out the side in the first with Hudspeth at third (thanks to a passed ball), and Hampden managed only three hits the rest of the game.

“Their first couple of batters are really good,” DeFilipp said. “We just had to stay up and continue with our teamwork.”

One of those hits was another Morris double, but Brewer shortstop Carolyn McAvoy threw Morris out at third when she tried to stretch her hit into a triple.

“That’s Carolyn,” said freshman third baseman Christine Thoms, who fielded the throw. “We work on that in practice and we’ve got it down pretty much.”

DeFilipp didn’t walk anybody and allowed Brewer’s stellar defense to do a lot of work behind her. The Witches recorded a combined 13 flyouts and putouts.

“[Catcher Rachel Wing] just mixed up the pitches,” DeFilipp said. “They are a good-hitting team and we just kept moving the spots and locations.”

Brewer scored two runs in the bottom of the first, including one on a Carolyn McAvoy sacrifice fly. DeFilipp recorded the eventual game-winning run when she reached first on an error, stole second, went to third on McAvoy’s sacrifice, and came home on a wild pitch.

“They were tough,” Hampden coach Rodney Wells said. “They got the baserunners on, moved them around, and got them in. But we did put the ball in play. We’re not winning games, but we’re having a lot of fun.”

The Witches tallied two more runs each in the third, fourth, and sixth.

“They threw it right where I like it, right down the middle,” said Thoms, who went 3-for-4 with two singles and an RBI double in the third inning.

Vanessa Michaud tallied an RBI on a groundout that plated Amy Freeman in the third. McAvoy doubled to drive in DeFilipp in the sixth.

WITCHES 8, BRONCOS 1

Hampden (2-10) Brewer (11-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Morris, ss 3 1 2 0 Freeman, 2b 3 2 0

Hudspeth, 2b 3 0 1 1 DeFilipp, p 2 2 0

Veinote, rf 3 0 0 0 McAvoy, ss 3 2 2

Ireland, 1b-p 3 0 0 0 Michaud, dh 4 1

Yamartino, 3b 3 0 0 0 Whalen, lf 0 0

Billings, cf 3 0 1 0 Thoms, 3b 4 0 1

Aylward, lf 2 0 0 0 McLaughlin, cf 3 0 0

a-Bragg 1 0 0 0 Wing, c 2 1 1 0

Littlefield, p-1b 2 0 1 0 Corey, rf 2 0

Schrage, c 1 0 0 0 Hanlon, 1b 2 1 0

Kiser, c 1 0 0 0

Totals 25 1 5 1 Totals 25 8 9 4

a-struck out for Aylward in 7th

Hampden 100 000 0 ? 1

Brewer 202 202 x ? 8

E?Morris, Hudspeth, Yamartino, Billings; LOB?Hampden 3, Brewer 6; 2B?Morris 2, Hudspeth; McAvoy, Thoms; S?DeFilipp, Corey, Freeman; SF?McAvoy; SB?DeFilipp, Hanlon

Hampden IP H R ER BB SO

Littlefield (L, 1-5) 3 1/3 5 6 3 1 1

Ireland 2 2/3 4 2 0 2 1

Brewer IP H R ER BB SO

DeFilipp (W, 9-1) 7 5 1 1 0 7

WP?Littlefield 2, Ireland 2; PB?Kiser, Wing; T?1:24; ATT?100 (est.)