Like many teams this season, the Brewer High softball team has had to play a lot of games in just a few days after weather and field conditions washed out the early part of the spring.

But not many teams have played so well in such a condensed time frame. The Witches won four games in four days last week, culminating in Friday night’s 3-0 win over Hampden Academy.

Although the win over the Broncos didn’t come under the best of circumstances – the school chose to play despite the death of a Hampden junior in a car accident Wednesday – the Witches were eager to face a team that had beaten them twice last year.

“We wanted to come in here and prove a point that we’re one of the top teams,” Brewer coach Skip Estes said. “This team’s really focused on winning. We didn’t look past anybody all week long. Right now they’re playing with so much confidence.”

Brewer beat Lawrence of Fairfield 9-2 on Tuesday, Messalonskee of Oakland 13-3 Wednesday and Skowhegan 3-1 Thursday, and is now 6-1.

The Witches won six in a row since dropping a 2-0 decision to rival Bangor on April 20 but fell to Nokomis of Newport 4-2 Monday.

Brewer has won a bit differently this year than previous seasons in that the Witches are scratching out more runs than before.

The eventual game-winning run against Hampden came via a walk, a passed ball, a stolen base and a wild pitch in the first inning. Standout senior pitcher Jordan McLain, who will play for the University of Maine next year, hit a two-run single in the seventh but before her hit Brewer had runners on base thanks to Hampden errors and moved runners with stolen bases.

Estes said the Witches manufactured all of their runs against Skowhegan.

“We’re just a different team. We can scratch the runs out, we can steal, and we can hit for power,” he said. “We’ve already had two home runs. Our whole goal this year is to just make contact every game. We have a little more speed this season so we can do some substitution with some of the younger kids.”

Wentworth to Manhattan

Another Maine schoolgirl basketball player will be at a Division I program next year.

McAuley of Portland’s Abby Wentworth, an All-Maine third-team selection, will play on a full scholarship for Manhattan College in New York.

She’s the sixth member of the senior class to decide on a top-level NCAA school. McAuley teammate Ashley Cimino is going to Stanford, while Cony of Augusta’s Cassie Cooper will attend Dartmouth. Hampden’s Tanna Ross, Biddeford’s Emily Rousseau and Mt. Blue of Farmington’s Christina Mosher are all headed for Maine.

Wentworth, a 5-foot-8 guard, averaged 13 points and 4 rebounds per game. She spent two seasons at McAuley after transferring from Telstar of Bethel, and wound up a first-team all-star in the Southern Maine Activities Association this year.

Goggles required for field hockey

Starting this fall all field hockey players must wear goggles as was recently mandated by the Maine Principals’ Association’s field hockey committee.

The goggles may be plastic or wire but must meet American Society for Testing and Materials standards. Coaches are recommended to carry ASTM certification information for the goggles used by the team to all games.

Coaches or athletic administrators should contact the MPA for more information.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.