Sophomore and Maine native Kirsten Pelletier went 5-1 with a 0.99 ERA in seven appearances, six starts to begin the year for the Bates softball team, which is off to the program's best start (9-3) since 1994. She struck out 44 batters in 42.1 innings pitched, allowing 27 hits and issuing just seven walks.
Pelletier struck out a career-high 11 batters on her way to tossing a no-hitter in the Bates softball team's 6-0 victory over North Central University Tuesday afternoon.
She becomes the first Bates pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Caroline Gattuso '13 threw a five-inning perfect game against Fisher College in 2013. Pelletier is the first Bates pitcher this century to toss a seven-inning no-hitter. The Messalonskee High School graduate and 2016 Gatorade Maine High School Player of the Year allowed just two Rams to reach base in the contest.
Pelletier allowed just two hits and struck out eight in a complete game shutout as the Bates softball team defeated Penn State Brandywine 1-0 Wednesday morning.
She tossed a complete game three-hitter and the Bates softball team defeated Bridgewater State 3-1 Thursday morning. Pelletier struck out seven along the way to earn her third victory of the season in the circle for Bates. She surrendered a leadoff home run to Samantha Mulcahy but did not allow a run after that.
Pelletier improved to 4-0 in the circle on Friday thanks to a complete game 4-3 victory over the University of Northwestern that featured nine strikeouts and no walks. She allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits.
She tossed a complete game for Bates in a controversial 2-0 loss to UMass.-Dartmouth on Saturday, scattering eight hits and striking out four. The lone runs for the Corsairs came on a two-run home run that appeared to be foul but was ruled fair.
Pelletier picked up her fifth win of the week against Ripon College on Sunday. She once again threw a complete game in the 7-1 victory, scattering seven hits over her seven innings, striking out five along the way. She also retired the only batter she faced out of the bullpen against Minnesota-Morris.
