CUMBERLAND — Gray-New Gloucester pitcher Alison Martell and the rest of the Patriots did what no other team has managed to do all season against Greely on Wednesday: hold the Rangers scoreless. 

Facing a team averaging 9.5 runs per game, Martell tossed a complete-game three-hitter, striking out four and walking three as Gray-NG shut out Greely, 3-0, for its fourth straight win. The loss snapped Greely’s five-game streak. 

“The girls were focused and determined,” Gray-NG coach Amanda Harmon said. “We’ve been working hard in practice, working on a couple different things and it showed today. Our momentum’s carried from the past couple games and they all worked hard as a team.” 

Martell was efficient in the circle, never throwing more than 18 pitches in an inning. She finished with 99 pitches to pick up the win. This coming against a Rangers team that hadn’t been held to fewer than three runs in a game.

“I knew they were a strong team and I just came out with confidence in myself and the team,” Martell said. “I knew I had them behind me.” 

Both teams struggled to find their offense early. Not helping the matter was a steady gust of wind blowing in that kept most fly balls from reaching the outfield. Through four innings, the Patriots and Rangers combined for three hits and no runs. 

Gray-NG (8-5) broke through in the fifth, started by a lead-off triple down the right-field line by Cara Waltz. Waltz touched home on a dropped third strike against Skye Conley. She broke for home when Greely catcher Audrey Mann threw down to first to get the out on the dropped third strike and beat the ensuing play at the plate for a 1-0 lead. 

“As soon as I saw her going for the ball and looking toward first I knew she was going to throw so I just started going for it,” Waltz said. 

That seemed to wake up the Patriots’ bats as they compiled six hits over the final three frames after recording just one in the first four innings. Gray-NG tacked on two more runs of support in the sixth for a 3-0 lead. 

“We finally found the gap,” Harmon said. “We were on it and we were hitting to people or they were making the plays. It definitely got the girls pumped and motivated. I think it was a little bit of a spark.” 

Maria Valente drove in a run on an infield single with two outs. After Waltz reached on an error at second base, Skye Conley added an RBI single through the left side to bring in Valente. 

The three runs of support were more than enough for Martell, who needed 15 pitches to get out of the sixth and 12 to close out the seventh. She didn’t allow more than two base runners in an inning throughout the contest. 

“It gave me more confidence,” Martell said. ” I knew we had the runs and we just had to shut them down to get the win today.” 

Martell’s shutout didn’t come without its share of close calls. The Rangers (8-3) left five runners on base — all in scoring position. Greely stranded Evan Carrell on third with one out in the second inning as Martell struck out both Mann and Kayley Cimino swinging to end the threat. 

“That’s a good pitcher,” Greely coach Rob Hale said. “Probably the best pitcher we’ve seen so far. … We’re usually a line-drive-ball-hitting team and we chased it.” 

The Rangers had runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth, but the Patriots got out of the frame unscathed as Nichole Lowell snared a line drive off the bat of Mann at third. Greely again had a runner 90 feet from home with two outs in the sixth only to see Waltz run down a fly ball just inside the right-field line. 

“We’ve focused a lot on our defense and it just all came together today,” Martell said.

Greely’s Miranda Moore pitched well enough to get the win. She went all seven innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, striking out six and walking four. She, like Martell, retired nine of the first 10 batters she faced. 

Valente and Kaelyn Woods each collected two hits and scored a run for the Patriots. 

Alexa Faietta had a two-out double in the sixth for the Rangers. It was their only extra-base hit of the contest. 

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