JAY – The Jay softball team believes it belongs among the elite in the Mountain Valley Conference, and the Tigers re-enforced their beliefs in a showdown under sunny skies Tuesday afternoon.

The Tigers jumped ahead early, and Alexii Smith pitched a one-hitter in a 14-2 triumph over Livermore Falls. The game was called after 41/2 innings due to the 10-run mercy rule .

The rivalry had added incentive because Jay (9-5) is determined to remain fifth in Western Heal points, while Livermore Falls needed the points to potentially secure a home preliminary game.

Jay scored seven runs in the first inning to put the Andies in a hole. The Tigers’ 10 batters each scored runs or drove-in runs in the game, including two-run single by Brittany DiPompo (two hits).

“This is a Livermore Falls-Jay game,” Jay catcher Emily Boivin said. “We always want to play our best against them. Today, we were able to jump on them right away.”

Jay batted around against Andies pitcher Whitney McDaniel, who had trouble finding the strike zone. Betsy Gemelli and senior Zena Armandi each had RBI-singles.

Livermore Falls (6-8), which had a three-game win streak snapped, was simply unable to punch through against Smith, who struck out four of the first six batters. The Andies’ Samantha Greenwood reached on an error, but was erased in a rundown.

“I really felt comfortable out there,” Smith said. “It was important for me to get ahead in the count because I could mix up my pitches.”

In the second, Gemelli (two hits, three runs) and scored on a Smith RBI single. Tasha Hebert (two runs) and Smith (two runs) each scored on Beth Moore’s single. Jennetta Shank added a two-run double.

“This certainly wasn’t the team that we have been,” Andies’ coach Jerry Lauzon said. “We start three freshmen and three sophomores, and we played young. The first inning has been hard on us, but we have been playing well. We beat Class B Lisbon 7-6 and Mountain Valley 3-2.”

The Andies’ Chelsie Morris reached on walks and scored runs in the third and fifth innings, respectively. Kayla Wilson hit an infield single and McDaniel walked in the fourth, but Smith struck out Melissa Welch on a change-up.

“You can usually toss out the records when these teams play,” Jay coach Robin Roberts said. “We took advantage of a couple mistakes and hit the ball. Alexii threw well and can get the ball over the plate. If she continues to cut down on walks, she can become one of the top pitchers in the conference.”