FAIRFIELD — On Friday afternoon at Lawrence High School, the Brewer softball team came up with timely hitting, scoring a majority of its runs with two outs. The Witches took advantage of Lawrence errors for a few more runs, and let pitcher Libby Hewes do the rest. That led to a 9-1 Brewer win in a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference battle of former Class A teams now rivals in Class B North.
“Our team is really bringing it at the plate. You couldn’t ask for more from our team,” Hewes, who allowed four hits while striking out seven, said.
Brewer improved to 5-0, while Lawrence is now 2-2.
The Witches took the lead in the bottom of the first when Becca Gideon crushed a two-run home run over the left field wall. After the inning opened with two quick outs, Kenzie Dorr walked, setting up Gideon’s homer.
Hewes helped her cause with a two-run double in the top of the fourth, and added an RBI single in the sixth inning.
TURNING POINT: Brewer held a 3-1 lead after three innings, when a pair of Lawrence errors prolonged the top of the fourth and helped the Witches tack on three more runs. First, Jayden Keefe scored on a throwing error. After Jordan Goodrich was hit by a Sam Marshall pitch, Hewes laced her two-run double to left center field, and the Witches lead was 6-1.
The Bulldogs committed two errors in the inning, and coach Joey Marcoux said the Witches certainly didn’t need the help.
“They jumped on us for the two run homer. OK, that’s over and done with. We score the one (run) to come back and we make it so that it’s going to be a ballgame, then we give them five outs in an inning and the next thing you know you’re losing by four again. You can’t afford to let any team, but a good team, they’re going to take advantage of it,” Marcoux said.
Lawrence cut Brewer’s lead in half with an unearned run in the bottom of the first, when Megan Curtis scored on an error. The Witches made three errors in the first inning, but settled down and played flawless defense the rest of the way. The game ended when left fielder Olivia Cattan made a sliding catch of Sarah Poli’s fly ball to the gap.
Brewer padded its lead with three runs in the top of the sixth inning. Two batters after Hewes hit an RBI single, MJ Sellers drove in a pair with a single.
HEWES IT OR LOSE IT: The four hits Hewes allowed were all singles, and Lawrence only strung together two hits in an inning once, in the seventh, when Cassidy Sirois and Megan Griffith each reached base. Haley Holt’s single to lead off the fourth was the Bulldogs’ first hit, and Curtis added a single in the bottom of the sixth.
“Hewes) was working a rise and a drop and a little curveball. She was a good pitcher,” Marcoux said.
Added Hewes: “I’m really confident. I spent a lot of time this winter working on everything, and I have a good defense behind me. It’s a piece of cake.”
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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