AUGUSTA – Just three hitters into the Cony batting order and the Oxford Hills softball team knew it was in trouble.

The Rams started the bottom of the first with a single and took advantage of two Viking errors. It was a hole that only got deeper as Cony built a 5-0 lead in the first two innings and remained unbeaten in an 8-4 win.

“It seemed like every time it was on the ground, it was an error,” said Oxford Hills coach Cindy Goddard. “We dug our own hole defensively, and we can’t obviously do that and win.”

The Vikings had five errors total, three in the first inning, and spoiled a solid outing by pitcher Megan Gauger. Cony (7-0) only managed six hits. Gauger walked just four and struck out four.

“Megan pitched well,” said Goddard. “In the first inning, she pitched about two innings worth. There wasn’t much support behind her.”

Cony’s starter, Jasmin Trott, gave up just two hits in four innings. She struck out seven before Mika Wilson came on in the fifth to finish the game.

“I was just trying to keep them off balance and not really put it right down the middle a whole lot so they could hit it,” said Trott.

Catcher Mindy Rugg drove in three runs and had two hits. She also was solid in the field, tagging out two runners at home and throwing out another at second. Caitlin Hanley also had two hits for the Vikings (5-2)

Oxford Hills threatened in the first when Hanley walked and Teira Durgin reached on an error, but the Vikings couldn’t take advantage. Trott struck out the next two and got the final out on a hit back to the mound.

“It was kind of nerve-wracking,” said Trott. “We were getting more nervous as it went on. Then we got ourselves together and started playing like we usually do.”

Cony made it 3-0 in the bottom of the first. After a hit and an error, the Vikings botched a run down that could have gotten Chelsea Soule at the plate. Instead, Soule scored and an error put Amy Jones on third. Jones scored on a passed ball and courtesy-runner Laina Younes scored on an error on an Emlyn Perry grounder.

“That helped a lot,” said Trott. “That made me feel a lot better pitching. I felt a lot more confident.”

Cony added two more in the second on a Soule fielder’s choice and a Jones RBI single.

The Vikings trimmed the deficit in the third when Hanley scored on an error and Gauger doubled in Kristy Jurczak, who was originally called out at the plate but ruled safe after an interference call was made at second.

“Once we got a couple runs, we felt like we were back in it a little bit,” said Goddard. “Then we played a couple good defensive innings, which helped.”

Cony padded the lead on a Liz Barker fielder’s choice in the third, a Perry RBI single in the fifth and a run on a wild pitch in the sixth.

Oxford Hills added two more in the seventh when Rugg singled in Hanley and Jaidyn Rice.