McLain, Witches tip Bangor in opener

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BREWER – After a disappointing weekend of exhibition softball in Portland, and dealing with a host of injuries, the Brewer softball team was hoping for a strong showing in Wednesday’s mutual season-opener against rival Bangor.

Both the Witches and the Rams looked good – especially in the pitching circle – but Brewer’s ability to push across a single run boosted the Witches to a 1-0 victory at Coffin Field.

“We’ve had a lot of injuries so we had a lot of sophomores and freshmen out there,” said first-year Brewer coach Skip Estes. “The kids did very well. They were focused and played an outstanding game. So did Bangor.”

Brewer junior Jordan McLain tossed a one-hitter, while Bangor sophomore Amy Wadleigh allowed one hit over five innings.

McLain, who struck out eight and walked two, also took it upon herself to make sure the Witches had a run.

She scored in the second inning after leading off with a walk and getting to second on a passed ball. After a Wadleigh strikeout, Katie Quimby hit a sacrifice bunt to move McLain to third.

Brewer had runners at the corners after Stacey Gomm hit a bunt single, and McLain scampered home on a passed ball. Gomm got all the way to third, but Wadleigh wrapped up the inning with a strikeout.

“We had an off day hitting, which happens,” McLain said. “But we did a good job moving people around. We weren’t getting as many hits as we normally do so it was good we were putting down bunts.”

The Witches had runners at first and third in the third inning and got another runner to third in the fourth. Christine Thoms led off the seventh with a single to shallow center field for Brewer’s only other hit, but Bangor reliever Kelly White retired three in a row, the last two on strikeouts.

Bangor had its chances, too. White reached third twice and Ilyse Angst got to second, but the Rams couldn’t get any runs across.

“I thought we did a good job making [Brewer] play the game,” said Bangor coach Don Stanhope who, like Estes, was making his varsity debut. “We had runners at second and third for three innings in a row. You don’t get the pitch you want or the bunt you want, and that happens. But for the first game of the season, against Brewer, it was good softball.”

Facing a stiff wind, both teams tried to keep the ball on the ground and attempted to move runners on bunts. Bangor’s Alex Fahey had two sacrifice bunts. Quimby had two of Brewer’s four.

“We have solid hitters behind me, so if I get the bunt sign I’m going to bunt and hopefully we can score,” Quimby said.

Wadleigh struck out five and walked three.

WITCHES 1, RAMS 0

Bangor (0-1) Brewer (1-0)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Hackett, 3b-ss 3 0 0 0 Risser, dh 1 0

Heath, 2b 3 0 0 0 Stevens, c 0 0 0

Godinez, cf 3 0 0 0 Defilipp, ph 1 0 0

White, ss-p 2 0 1 0 Lorenz, rf 2 0 0

Fahey, c 1 0 0 0 Thoms, 3b 2 0 0

Wadleigh, p-lf 3 0 0 0 J. McLain, p 2 0

Angst, 1b 2 0 0 0 M. McLain, ss 3 0 0

L.Stevenson,rf-3b 2 0 0 0 Quimby, 2b 1 0

Macdonald, lf-rf 2 0 0 0 Gomm, cf 2 0

Knowles, cf 0 0 0 0

Estes, 1b 2 0 0 0

Hawkins-Kimbll, lf 1 0 0

Totals 21 0 1 0 Totals 17 1 2 0

Bangor 000 000 0 – 0

Brewer 010 000 x – 1

E-Hackett; Quimby; LOB-Bangor 4, Brewer 5; S-Fahey 2; Quimby 2, Risser, Lorenz; SB-White 2, Angst

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Wadleigh (L, 0-1) 5 1 1 1 3 5

White 1 1 0 0 0 2

Brewer IP H R ER BB SO

J. McLain (W, 1-0) 7 1 0 0 2 8

PB-Fahey 2; Stevens; T-1:27; ATT-50 (est.)