FARMINGDALE — Danielle Frye had been warned.

The senior pitcher for Georges Valley knew she wasn’t pitching in Friday’s Mountain Valley Conference championship game, but she’d been advised to be ready. Her coach had promised there would be a time that she would be called upon, and it would be a key moment.

“I told her that you will hit because I wanted her to face (Telstar pitcher Kayla) Merrill,” said Bucs coach Rusty Worcester. “I said, ‘When you do come up, it will be in a situation where there will be a lot of pressure.’ She can handle it. She’s a super kid and a super athlete. She’s been there and done that.”

Well, Frye did it again Friday. Her pinch-hit, two-run single in the fifth inning delivered Georges Valley a 2-1 victory over Telstar in a battle of unbeatens for the conference title. It was the third consecutive year the two rivals have met for the conference crown.

“It was awesome,” said Frye, who pitched her team to the MVC crown and Class C state title as a sophomore. “It was an exciting game. We played such a good team. I’m excited we got a chance to play them and see them before the playoffs.”

Telstar and Georges Valley are ranked first and second in Western C respectively with 14-0 records. Telstar coach Jim Lunney told his kids after the game that it was a tough loss, but it wasn’t the win the Rebels are really after.

“I told them a long time ago that when you lose a game you’re going to feel bad about it,” said Lunney, whose club beat the Bucs in the MVC game last year and later beat them again in the regional final. “Every undefeated team does, but you can’t dwell on it. When we play them again, they’re going home. They beat us today, and we’re going to the playoffs. We’re not trying to win one game.”

The game was as good as expected, featuring the league’s two top teams that hadn’t met in the regular season and are likely to meet in the tournament. Both teams got fine pitching and some outstanding defense. Merrill held the Bucs to just one hit through the first four innings and allowed six overall while striking out three. Jill Bradbury, who went 1-0 and had one save in the regular season, struggled in the opening inning but settled down. She finished with a two-hitter and struck out seven.

“She works hard,” said Worcester of his sophomore. “She can throw the ball. She closed out some games and pitched two or three innings here or there.”

Worcester told Bradbury to throw strikes and have faith in her defense. The Bucs came through behind her playing errorless ball. Rachel Frye made a great backhanded catch in right, and the Bucs finished the game with an outstanding double play that nailed the tying run at the plate to win.

“They saw that through,” said Worcester. “You can’t teach that play. They saw that and experienced that and took care of that play.”

Telstar had some superb play in the field as well. Lyndsay Merrill was sensational at shortstop. Sam Largess threw out a runner stealing, and Hannah Morin’s throw from center helped cut down a runner at the plate.

Merrill was cruising early and allowed just a Bethany Snow double through the first four innings. She had a 1-0 lead to work with thanks to Morin’s single that scored Lyndsay Merrill. Though Bradbury struggled with control early, she settled down and didn’t allow another hit until Morin singled in the seventh.

“We swung at high pitches all day and that hurt us,” Lunney said. “Their pitcher was a little high. She did a nice job. She pitched well. I told my girls that she is a good pitcher and if you swing at the high pitches, she’s not going to throw strikes until you stop swinging at the high pitches.”

Georges Valley finally got some offense going in the fifth. With one out, Kelsie Thompson singled and Katlyn Rich followed with another hit. Tamra Wallace bunted them over, setting the stage for Danielle Frye.

“I’d swung the bat maybe three time before that,” said Frye, who has been pitching all year with a knee injury and was held out from Friday’s start to save her for the tourney. “I wasn’t really ready for it.”

After a meager first swing, she connected with a single to right that plated both runs.

“I knew I had to execute,” said Frye. “We had someone lay down an awesome bunt, and I wasn’t going to let that go to waste. It was the time to get a hit, and I knew I had to.”

Telstar couldn’t get any offense going to challenge until its final at bat. Morin led off with a single and Nicena Walker drew a walk. Katie Sumner moved them over with a bunt. Lunney and Largess discussed the strategy and decided to go for a bunt.

“I said ‘Sam, I’ll give you the choice’ and she said that she could get the bunt down,” said Lunney. “I could have let her swing away. It was a nice bunt, and it was a long throw and a long throw.”

Largess put the ball in front of the plate. It was fielded nicely and after a quick glance toward Morin at third, a throw went to first to get Largess. The ball was immediately relayed to the plate to Jessie Veilleux. She blocked the plate nicely and held on to the ball to apply the tag on Morin to end the game.

“We got a bad jump on third,” said Lunney. “Hannah is too fast to get thrown out on two throws. She was going back to third, but we had to send her. We were in position to win. It was a nice bunt, and it was two good throws, and they got us.”

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