LEWISTON – Pitching and defense has been a pretty reliable staple in the success of the Oxford Hills softball team over the years, but this year, it has been the bats that have been making plenty of noise.

The Vikings continued that rattle and hum of aluminum Friday with a 15-2 win over Lewiston in a five-inning game shortened by the mercy rule.

“We got the bats going really well today,” said Mindy Rugg, who drove in three runs with a pair of hits. “We’re more comfortable in the batter’s box. We’re not so intimidated by pitchers.”

Meagan Gauger had three hits and drove in a pair while Brooke Washer also had three hits. Caitlin Hanley had two hits and an RBI. Breanna Martin drove in a pair while Dayna Schultz and Kristy Jurczak also drove in runs.

The Vikings have scored 42 runs in their 5-0 start.

“I think we had the elements of good pitching, and we had a lot of players back,” said Oxford Hills coach Cindy Goddard. “Last year, we struggled a lot offensively. I think our new players that have come in have really added punch, extra speed and some contact. I’ve actually been quite impressed with our hitting ability.”

The Vikings broke open a 2-0 lead with four runs in the second and nine in the fourth. Lewiston tried three different pitchers but couldn’t shut down an offense that produced 14 hits.

“We definitely knew whoever gets up was going to get a hit,” said Rugg. “We have the end of the lineup that can hit just as well as the top of the lineup, and that’s always good.”

Jurczak scattered four hits to earn the win. She struck out eight and walked just two. Lewiston got one run in the first when Erica Morin scored on an error. The other run came in the fifth when Carley Denis tripled and scored on a Courtney Vallee fielder’s choice.

The Vikings built a 2-0 lead in the first when Rugg doubled in a pair. In the second, Oxford Hills built a 6-1 lead when an error on a Mariah Martin squeeze bunt plated two. Then Hanley doubled in a run and Gauger singled in another.

“The pitching hasn’t been overpowering yet,” said Goddard. “Last year, we had a lot more people striking out. We’re still looking to see the top-notch pitchers and see what it’s going to be like. We did still hit well in Florida when we saw top-notch pitching. We made contact and we didn’t strike out. I think that’s a positive, and they feel pretty confident in the batter’s box.”

In the fourth, the Vikings broke it open by sending 15 batters to the plate. Oxford Hills took advantage of seven walks and four hits to make it 15-1.

Breanna Martin singled in two runs. After a Jurczak bunt hit scored Jaidyn Rice, Martin and Jurczak each scored on wild pitches. Schultz walked with the bases load, and Gauger followed with an RBI single. After a Rugg sacrifice fly scored Hanley, Schultz scored on an error on a Breanna Martin grounder.

“Today we had some good shots, and that was nice to see” said Goddard. “It’s been different people in the lineup. Last year, if it didn’t happen in the top four or five, it might not happen, but this year it’s been pretty good. We’ve been very fortunate.”