JAY – They lost plenty to pomp and circumstance, but graduation didn’t take away their pop.

Despite graduating the entire infield from last year’s defending Class C state champs, Georges Valley hasn’t missed a beat this season and are pounding the ball as well as ever. The Bucs proved that again Friday with an 8-2 win over Jay.

“We have a good program,” said Bucs coach Rusty Worcester, whose team belted out 10 hits. “We’ve been building our lower level program. They’ve come up, and they’re great. They listen to instruction wonderfully. That’s evident. There’s a lot of freshmen and sophomores hitting the ball confidently. We like to be aggressive in the strike zone and show that confidence.”

Georges Valley (11-0) has won 31 straight regular season games and average nearly 10 runs per outing this season. Against the Tigers (10-3), the Bucs had four extra base hits, including home runs by Kelsie Thompson and Jill Bradbury and a pair of doubles by Liz Hall.

“We just focused really well today and hit the ball,” said Hall, a senior headed for St. Joe’s. “Everybody knows they can hit the ball. It’s been that mindset that allows us to do that and we do it.”

Hall drove in four runs while Bradbury drove in two. Bucs pitcher Danielle Frye allowed just three hits and struck out 12.

“She’s a trooper,” said Worcester, who had two pitchers warming up prior to the game in case Frye was too ill to go the distance. “She went home sick (Thursday). She had the flu and congestion. She didn’t have the extra zip on her fastball. She couldn’t hit her spots because she was running on empty. She’s a thoroughbred. When she gets out there, she put it all on the line.”

Jay struggled to get offense going against Frye. Netta Shank had a single in the first, but the Tigers didn’t get another hit until Brittany DiPompo’s solo homer in the sixth. Emily Boivin followed with a double and later scored on a wild pitch.

“The positive side of things is we had some good at bats later in the game,” said Jay coach Robin Roberts. “We started hitting the ball. Now we have a little more confidence against them.”

Georges Valley built a 6-0 lead thanks to four runs in the third and two more in the fourth. The Tigers didn’t help their cause with three errors in the first three innings, including two in the four-run third.

“They hit the ball well,” said Roberts. “Lexii (Smith) didn’t have the velocity on her pitches. Maybe it’s been the last three games. She’s been pitching a lot. She didn’t have any zip, but they hit well, and we made a couple mistakes in our defense.”

In the third, Thompson started things off when she delivered a lead-off homer to right.

“She’s a sophomore,” said Worcester. “She’s got terrific power. She doesn’t realize how much power she has. She hit a grand slam last game at home. The ball just flew off her bat. She was real quick wrists, and she’s getting more confidence every time she hits it. That lit us up, and we took off.”

Hall followed with a two-run double in the inning and scored on an error to make it 4-0. In the fourth, Hall doubled in another pair.

“It’s like opening the floodgates,” said Hall, who also made an outstanding diving catch in right. “It’s just getting on a roll, and it effects our whole team. We’re all pumped up and everything.”

After Jay got two back in the seventh, Bradbury hit a two-run shot in the seventh.