JAY – It was a scenario Lindsay James had never really found herself in before.

In the span of three innings Wednesday, however, the Telstar junior faced a pair critical at-bats.

James came to bat with the game tied and two runners on with one out in the seventh. She made contact but her line drive was caught in centerfield.

“That was pretty intense,” said James. “I’d never been in that position before, especially at the end of the order. I was just hoping to make contact.”

Two innings later, with the score still tied and the bases loaded with nobody out, James stepped to the plate again. This time, her confidence was bolstered by her previous at-bat. With the infield drawn in, James blooped a single that opened the floodgates in a 6-3 win over Jay (5-1).

“That helped me the most, making contact the first time,” said James. “So I was like, ‘I can do this.’ I talk to myself a lot at the plate. I was like, ‘You can hit it.’ I watched the release point and just tried to make contact.”

James’ single scored Hannah Morin and an error in the outfield on the play allowed Nicena Walker to score. Whitney Mills plated Sam Largess with a hit for the three-run ninth.

“It was a big win,” said Kayla Merrill, the Telstar pitcher. “We’ve been looking forward to this game all week. We’ve been practicing and waiting and waiting. I’ve been anxious and nervous.”

Telstar (4-0) got numerous crucial hits in the game to rally from behind to win. Merrill finished with three hits while Morin had a pair.

“Lindsay drove in a run, Hannah and Kayla, we had big hits when we needed them,” said Telstar coach Jim Lunney. “When we came up in the seventh, I had my three, four and five hitters up. I told them that somebody’s got to deliver.”

Merrill allowed just five hits. She struck out nine and walked just two. Jay’s Alexii Smith was nearly as good. She allowed just two hits through the first six innings, the Rebels produced seven hits in the final three.

“I just wanted to keep them in tight,” said Merrill. “I’ve been working on my change-up a lot and trying to fool them. I was just trying to throw strikes and get them chasing.”

Both teams had strong play in the field as well. Largess was superb behind the plate while Jay shortstop Brittany Dipompo made a pair of outstanding plays

Telstar broke the stalemate in the fourth when Merrill doubled in Candace Hall, but the Tigers answered right back in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. Netta Shank singled in Emily Boivin. Liz LeBlanc singled in Betsy Gemelli for the 2-1 lead.

The Rebels were down to their final at-bat in the seventh when Morin doubled in Merrill with one out to tie it.

“I was just listening to all the advice my coaches were giving me,” said Morin. “During practice, they always tell me to keep my head down and watch the ball. I also tried a new bat, which was out of my comfort zone.”

Telstar took the lead in the eighth when Mills scored on a Merrill single and an error in the outfield, but it was Jay’s turn to rally in the bottom of the inning. Gemelli singled and scored Boivin with two outs.

In the ninth, Morin and Walker each singled. Largess reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases.

“Their pitcher threw well,” said Lunney. “We just happened to string something together the last two or three innings and score to get a lead.”