STANDISH — The first three pitches of the game were a hint of good things to come.

As Kayla Merrill fired three straight offerings past the lead-off batter for George Stevens Academy, the Telstar ace sent a definitive message. It proved to be a good sign for the Rebels and bad news for the Eagles.

Merrill subsequently hurled a two-hitter and struck out nine in a 5-1 Telstar win in Saturday’s Class C state championship game at Ward Park at Saint Joseph’s College.

Telstar’s junior pitcher was unflappable and pretty near unhittable as a potent GSA offense went quietly.

“I knew I had to hit my corners well and I had to throw the high pitch and get ahead early,” said Merrill.

The win was the third state title for the Rebels, which also won in 1991 and 2006. The Rebels lost in the state game last year in Brewer, 8-6.

“Finally,”said Sam Largess, a senior catcher. “It feels so good to get a good mark on the end of our school year. Now we’ve officially graduated. We worked for this in field hockey and softball for four years and now it’s finally happened.”

The Rebels (18-0) broke open a 0-0 game with three runs on three hits in the third. Kayla Merrill, who finished with three RBI, drove in a pair of those. That’s all Merrill needed against the Eagles.  GSA (14-6) had just four base runners the entire game, two from hits, one from an error and one from a walk. Only one of them got past second base.

GSA had scored 126 runs during the regular season.

“She was hitting her corners really well,” said Largess. “She had her change-up working really well and when her change-up is on, she’s  a dominant pitcher because she has such a change in velocity and she can move the ball really well. When she’s on, she’s on and that happened today.”

In contrast, GSA pitcher Lydia Clapp struggled early. Nine of her first 10 pitches were balls. The Rebels couldn’t take advantage of her early wildness but eventually were able to hone in on her, despite Clapp’s herky jerky motion.

“I think for most of us it wasn’t really the motion, it’s when she lets go of it,” said TJ Cowin, a senior outfielder. “We try not to pay attention to the beginning motion.”

Telstar got lead-off walks in each of the first two innings but stranded both. In the third, however, the Rebels started to feel more comfortable at the plate and with Clapp’s pitching style. Though Clapp settled down and pitched well, the Rebels started to generate hits.

“After the first nine go through, we know what the pitcher is like and how you have to bat,” said Cowin. “It’s definitely better after the first time through.”

In the bottom of the third, Lyndsay Merrill led off the inning by reaching third on a three-base error. Lindsay James reached on a bunt hit and stole second. Kayla Merrill then singled to plate both.

“Their pitcher did a nice job,” said Telstar coach Jim Lunney. “We hit a lot of balls to first or second. She kept us off-balance and we didn’t get a lot of hits off her. It was good that we bunched them together.”

Hannah Morin, who had the game-winning hit against Georges Valley in the regional final, delivered a nice piece of hitting and singled on a change-up to score Merrill for the 3-0 lead.

“Coach made it clear to us that we had to get hits and obviously get runs,” said Morin. “That’s what we tried to do and a lot of girls put the bat on the ball.”

The Rebels added two more in the fifth. Lyndsay Merrill led off with a walk. After advancing on a James sacrifice and a wild pitch, she scored on a Kayla Merrill flyout. Cowin followed with a double and came in when a Morin hit to right field was dropped.

“Usually my outfielders are top outfielders,” said GSA coach Betsy Stevens, whose team made three errors. “That’s really unusual for them. I don’t know if it was playing in the state game and the nerves taking over, but they’re solid outfielders.”

Down 5-0, GSA couldn’t muster much of a comeback. Stevie Theoharidis had a single to start the sixth. She advanced on a wild pitch and scored on an error. The Eagles never had another base runner.

“It wasn’t our best hitting game,” said Stevens. “Normally that’s a good speed that we do really well against. We were under the ball and popping it up. We just didn’t come through with the bats today like we usually do.”

Of course, Kayla Merrill might have had something to do with that. The only game the junior has lost in high school was the MVC championship game to Georges Valley.

“Kayla started off well with control,” said Lunney. “We wanted to change speeds up, and she had that working with the change-up. We thought if she pitched well, they wouldn’t get a lot of opportunities to score.”

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