JAY – With all of the rumbling Jay’s bats had done against Livermore Falls this season – to the tune of 27 runs in two games – Tuesday’s preliminary contest between the Andies and Tigers figured to be rather quick, and more of the same.

But the only rumbling at all came from the sky just to the south.

Jay pieced together five runs on eight hits and held off a tenacious Livermore Falls team for a 5-3 win over their rivals at Jay High School.

“We had to come out and hit the ball, and we didn’t do it,” Jay coach Robin Roberts said. “They put together a few runs here and there, and made it a great game.”

“When you give runs away or outs away, it comes back to bite you,” Livermore Falls coach Jerry Lauzon said. “Errors have been our downfall all year long.”

Alexii Smith got the call to the rubber for the Tigers, and despite allowing three runs, had a no-hitter going into the top of the seventh inning, and finished with a one-hitter.

“She throws hard,” Roberts said. “She’s been a good pitcher for us.”

Whitney McDaniel stood in the circle for the Andies (6-11), keeping Jay hitters off balance all afternoon. Two of the Tigers’ five runs were the result of errors.

“She keeps us in games,” Lauzon said. “When she’s pitching, half the runs she’s allowed this year have been unearned.”

Jay opened up a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Jeanetta Stone reached on an error, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on a Tasha Hebert single. Smith scored Hebert, and then scored herself on a Zeana Armandi single.

Livermore Falls cracked the scoreline in the top of the sixth, and did so without the benefit of a hit. Chelsie Morris reached after being plunked, made it to third on a pair of passed balls and came home on a sacrifice fly to first base by Kathryn Lake.

Jay managed two more in the bottom of the sixth, which proved crucial. Betsy Gemelli doubled, Stone singled her home and then scored on a Smith sacrifice fly.

The Andies’ lone hit opened the seventh, but Kayla Wilson ran into an out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double. A series of walks and errors produced two more Livermore Falls runs before Smith got Brittany Souther to pop out to first, ending the game.