NH Division I softball: Hartman delivers as Spaulding beats Portsmouth in home opener

ROCHESTER – Facing an offense that scored 24 runs in its first two games, Maddie Hartman knew she had her work cut out for her Friday.

The right-hander was equal to the task as she pitched the Spaulding High School softball team to a 10-2, Division I win over Portsmouth in the Red Raiders’ home-opener at Sheila Colson Field.

“I heard that they beat Alvirne 9 to 1 so I knew it was going to be a tough game,” Hartman said. “I just knew that I had to pitch hard and I had to really work on my spots. That was my goal for the game, to really hit my spots.”

Hartman struck out 10 and walked two in the complete-game effort as Spaulding improved to 3-1. She allowed five hits but just two over the first six innings.

Hartman, who was making her third start of the season, also fanned 13 in a season-opening victory over Bishop Guertin.

“Maddie was doing what Maddie does,” said Spaulding coach Sheila Colson. “I think she was holding her composure and just trying to work through and mix it up enough. … She started hitting her spots and keeping them off-balance.”

Held to just one baserunner over the first three frames, Spaulding came alive at the plate with 10 runs over the next three innings capped by a towering two-run homer to left by Bella Sherman that made it 10-1 in the sixth.

“As a pitcher having that cushion is definitely a little bit of relief,” Hartman said. “It’s easier going on the mound knowing that we have a lead. Getting the lead was very important in that game.”

Sherman also tripled in the fourth and scored the first Spaulding run on a single by French who also had an RBI single in the fifth. Hartman put the Red Raiders ahead to stay with a run-scoring single in the fourth. She also drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth to plate another run.

“We were able to move some runners around which is what we need to do,” Colson said. “You’ve got to try to manufacture runs and I think it was important that we were able to get that done today.”

Trailing 1-0, the Red Raiders broke the game open with three runs in the fourth inning and five more in the fifth to pull away. Addison French was in the middle of both rallies with a pair of RBI singles.

“Their pitcher was good,” said Portsmouth coach Sandy Dewing. “I thought we played well. We had one bad inning where we kicked the ball around a little. We were making contact. They had a couple good innings. That’s all it takes.”

Spaulding’s Caitlin Willis reached base three times on a pair of singles and a walk, and finished with two RBIs. The Red Raiders had scored just 10 runs combined in their first three games.

“We knew we had to play solid defense and put the ball in play,” Colson said. “We haven’t scored many runs. We haven’t put hits together. The kids hit really well today and we took advantage of runners on and we were able to get that timely hit.”

Meanwhile, Hartman was keeping Portsmouth (2-1) at bay. After giving up a run in the first on an RBI triple by Evy Douglass, Hartman retired the next 10 batters as the Red Raiders settled things.

“I think this definitely gives us a lot of confidence,” Hartman said. “I think our team has a lot of potential and I’m really excited to see what comes next.”

Portsmouth’s second run came in the seventh on back-to-back singles by Kendall Holt and Emi Greco, who had two of the Clippers’ five hits, and a double by Addie Carroll.

“I think this win shows us that we have to put the bat on the ball and put the ball in play when you have opportunities to score runs,” Colson said. “The timely hitting I think is just giving the girls the confidence to hit.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hartman, Spaulding softball beats rival Portsmouth in home opener