JAY- It’s not often that a game actually exceeds its hype.

Friday’s softball match up of the Monmouth Mustangs and the Jay Tigers lasted only 70 minutes, but it was a masterpiece.

Monmouth freshman hurler Brittany Hilton matched Jay’s Bree Loon until the final frame.

Brittany Frailey’s single into right-center field plated catcher Sara Fetteroff with the winning run, giving Jay a 1-0 victory.

With one out in the seventh, Fetteroff singled to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Frailey then lined a shot on a 2-0 count through the gap between first and second base.

Fetterhoff scored without a throw.

“I was really nervous,” said Frailey. “Basically I just tried to breathe a little bit and told myself to relax. Once I did that I was okay. I was shooting for a base hit and hoping I would get Sara to third.”

Although it took a while to get one run, that’s all Loon would need.

She was unhittable.

The southpaw faced the minimum of 21 batters, striking out 13. The Mustangs managed to put seven balls into fair territory, all of them coming on bunt attempts. After seeing her first six batters get mowed down by Loon, Monmouth coach Rachel Bernier went to the bunting game.

“You have to put the ball into play,” said Bernier, “and make the other team think where they’re going to throw the ball and make them field it.”

The lone hit Loon gave up was a seventh-inning bunt single by Chelsea Grant that third baseman Desire Castonguay wasn’t able to barehand. Grant would later be pegged out trying to steal second on a bullet from Fetteroff.

Of the 68 pitches by Loon, 53 were thrown for strikes and she never got to a three-ball count.

“She’s only walked three girls all year,” said Jay coach Robin Roberts. “What we have to do is make sure the other girls are ready. We know (the bunting) is coming. We practice that every day.”

With Hilton (one walk) throwing strikes and the defense playing flawlessly behind her, the Mustangs (10-2) had escaped unscathed when the Tigers (12-1) threatened in the fourth and sixth innings.

Lindsey McDonald started the fourth by blooping a single into short left and moved up on Loon’s sacrifice bunt. One out later, Fetterhoff followed with the first of her two hits. When the throw from the outfield went home, Fetterhoff took second.

Frailey then hit a slow roller up the middle that Monmouth shortstop Alex Gauthier charged and just nipped Frailey at first.

“That was huge,” said Bernier. “I thought we did an excellent job of taking away their offensive momentum.”

The Mustangs followed with another key defensive play in the sixth when McDonald tried to sacrifice Kaylie Demillo to second. McDonald’s bunt was popped up to catcher Moe Beaulieu, who then threw to first to double up Demillo.