You would think losing an ace pitcher with the caliber of Ashley Kelley would be decimating to a softball team.

Don’t tell that to the Hermon Hawks, who have won their first four games, including an impressive victory at Bucksport where freshman pitcher Debbie Colpitts fired a one-hit shutout.

“I don’t think anyone at Hermon can remember beating Bucksport down there,” said Hawks coach Adam Leach.

Colpitts got the win Saturday against Central of Corinth, pitching five strong innings before giving way to Jessie Devou.

The two scattered five runs on four hits in the 7-5 triumph over the Red Devils, while they walked only two and struck out 20 while giving up only three hits in the Hawks’ first two games, victories over Mount Desert Island and Bucksport.

Hermon improved to 4-0 with a 9-7 victory over Ellsworth Monday.

The main thing that’s been pivotal to their success, Leach said, is pinpoint control and not leaving fastballs up in the strike zone.

“They’re keeping the ball down in the zone. [While] they’re not overpowering like Ashley Kelley, they throw it hard enough and hit spots,” he said.

Going into Saturday’s game, the Hawks had yet to allow an earned run.

Leach added that Kelley, who tore her ACL during the basketball season, is progressing smoothly with her rehab.

“She’s able to do some therapy at practice,” said Leach, who added that Kelley was in uniform and with her teammates on the bench during Saturday’s home game with Central.

“She can play toss, that sort of thing,” Leach said.

The Hawks have been sound offensively at the top of the order, getting solid production from speedy third baseman Jaimie Beers in the leadoff position, who is sporting a .333 batting average and a .625 on base percentage.

Lily Berry, Ally Wharton and Monica Gallant are also sporting averages above the .300 level while Wharton came into Saturday’s action hitting .400.

“They all put the bat on the ball, they all hit it hard,” said Leach. “When those four are putting the bat on the ball and getting on base I think we’re in good shape.”

The Hawks certainly have a tough road ahead of them, as Saturday’s win over Central kicked off a stretch where Leach’s club will play five games in eight days.

That slate included the Ellsworth game and another road contest on Thursday against Old Town.

Felt named to Rockland girls post

Former Cony High School and Husson College basketball standout Ray Felt has been hired as the girls basketball coach at Rockland District High School, according to Rockland athletic director Jim Leonard.

Felt replaces Karen Bickmore, who stepped down in March after nine seasons directing the Tigers.

Felt has been active coaching in for more than 20 years, most of those in the greater Rockland area. He works with the Maine Department of Corrections as the Correctional Unit Manager at Bolduc Correctional Facility in Warren.

Felt, his wife Kim and their three daughters live in Rockland.

Felt first starred at Cony High in Augusta, helping the Rams win the 1978 Class A state championship while earning a spot on the BDN All-Maine First Team.

He went on to have a good career at Husson College in Bangor under coach Bruce MacGregor.

Howlers on the prowl

This was supposed to be a reloading season for the Penobscot Valley Howlers of Howland.

After all, coach David Milton lost five senior starters from a club that advanced to the Eastern Maine Class C softball championship game last spring.

However, the Howlers have stormed out to a 4-1 start going into Monday afternoon’s game at Lee Academy, fueled by the pitching of junior Casey McCloskey.

“It has been [the key], pitching is the key to any softball team,” said Milton.

McCloskey has been dynamite offensively and in the circle for PVHS in their last two games. She four-hit Piscataquis Community of Guilford, striking out 13 in an 8-0 triumph on May 1 while coming back to scatter five runs on three hits while fanning 10 and collecting two singles and scoring twice in a 6-5 victory over Bangor Christian a day later.

That victory avenged an opening-day defeat to the Patriots.

Not too shabby for a team that only has two seniors in Lindsay Durost and Kristy Bellevance.

“I never would’ve dreamed that we would have this kind of a start,” Milton said.

Durost, along with Bellevance and juniors Molly Thompson and Kirstie Dawson have been key contributors to the Howlers’ success so far this spring.

However, Milton knows that the season is still in its early stages, and that the Howlers have no time to rest on their laurels.

“We’ve got to constantly improve, our defense has got to get a little tighter,” he said.

Hoop changes abound

There will be a few changes come high school basketball season next winter.

Perhaps the one significant change is that the two marked spaces in the lane closest to the end baseline will be vacant on free-throw attempts.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules Committee revised Rule 8-1-4 in an attempt to reduce rough play on foul shooting situations.

As a result, players will move up one spot in foul shooting scenarios and a new mark will be laid down near the foul line to mark the designated player spot.

Lucy right on track

Bangor High School distance runner Jennie Lucy is taking a crack at the 1,600 meters this spring, and is enjoying great success so far.

The Rams’ senior, who has specialized in the 400 and 800 throughout her high school career, won the 1,600 in 5 minutes, 39.72 seconds in a multi-team meet at Cameron Stadium last Friday.

Lucy, who later won the 800 in 2:36.26 and anchored Bangor’s 4×400 meter relay, owns the conference’s second-best time in the mile so far this spring.

Only Hilary Maxim of Old Town (5:29.85) has run faster.

rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net

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