BETHEL – One hundred eleven miles of two-lane highway separate the last two undefeated softball teams in the Mountain Valley Conference.

Funny how Georges Valley and Telstar always seem on a collision course for the Western Class C championship game. And not surprising that the distance between them in their latest encounter was the width of the webbing on a couple of well-meaning gloves.

Georges Valley gutted out one unearned run in the sixth inning and another in the seventh Monday to sneak away with a 2-1 victory.

Four errors foiled the Rebels.

“And then there was one,” said Telstar coach Jim Lunney, whose Rebels lost the last two regional finals to Georges Valley and haven’t missed one since 2004. “It was one of those games where late in the game you can’t make a mistake. They put the pressure on us with the hits, and we made the mistakes.”

The Buccaneers’ late heroics ensured that junior pitcher Danielle Frye – winning hurler in the last two state finals – didn’t see 18 strikeouts go for naught.

“I was pumped about this game,” Frye said. “I was ready to come here and play. I prepared myself for this game all season.”

Candace Hall of Telstar (5-1) nearly matched Frye whiff-for-whiff.

Hall struck out 12. She clung to a one-hit shutout through five innings before freshman No. 9 hitter Jill Bradbury belted a one-out double to grant Georges Valley (7-0) life.

“I think it was before the sixth inning when I said, ‘Ladies, I’ve watched the last three batters strike out and every time the first pitch was a strike.’ We knew she was going to bring it,” said Georges Valley coach Rusty Worcester, “so we needed to be aggressive and put the bat on the ball.”

Bradbury scampered home with the tying run when Bethany Snow’s hot shot to third base coaxed a hurried and wide throw to first base.

Liz Hall ignited the winning rally with a leadoff single to left field.

Candace Hall struck out Erin Judkins looking before Danielle Leavitt slapped a screamer up the middle. Telstar’s center fielder couldn’t get the glove down in time, and Georges Valley’s Hall rounded the bases while the ball bounced into open pasture.

“We knew it was going to be good pitching and who might get that timely hit,” Worcester said. “That ball was roped. It was one of those deals where you hit the ball that hard, it could go forever.”

Although Frye mowed through most of the Rebels’ lineup, 1-2-3 hitters Whitney Mills, Hall and Kayla Merrill reached base in six of their nine appearances and gave Telstar legitimate scoring opportunities in three of the first five frames.

Hall drew a one-out walk and raced home on Merrill’s double in the first.

Mills walked and Hall singled in the third before Frye summoned two strikeouts to quell the threat. The same combination ended up on first and second in the fifth, but Frye fanned Merrill and escaped.

“They’ve got a very dominating pitcher. We’ve got to swing at strikes and not chase the high ones, or we make her even better,” Lunney said. “We’ll probably see them again.”