But the Hornets needed more than one, and after tying the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, Leavitt couldn’t repeat that feat in the eighth. Gardiner held off the Hornets’ comeback hopes in a 2-1 win.

“They’re a pretty good club,” said Leavitt coach Pete Higgins. “We’ll see them twice. We’ll learn from this, and hopefully get the people back we’re supposed to have back.”

The Hornets were missing three regulars because of injury, work and vacation conflicts. Still, Leavitt pitcher Michele Morin dueled Gardiner hurler Brittany Rollins for a scoreless six innings.

“I thought Michele pitched a pretty good game,” said Higgins.

Gardiner  (2-0) only got two hits, both from Taylor Banister. Morin struck out eight.

Rollins allowed just four hits, three coming in the seventh. She struck out 11 while Kristal Smith came on in the eighth and struck out two to finish off the game.

“We have four different pitchers,” said Gardiner coach Ginger Shaw. “So we’ve been trying to work them in together. I just wanted to get her some playing time.”

Leavitt (1-1) got some nice plays in the field from Tori Zupancic at short and Emily Perkins in center. The Hornets also had three errors in the game.  One of them proved costly in the seventh. After Perkins made a nice running catch in center for the first out, Morin got a pop out, but then walked the next two. Runners advanced on a passed ball. Then a simple pop up by Kylee Granholm was dropped between the pitcher’s circle and third base.

“We gave them some things and we didn’t take advantage of what they gave us,” said Higgins.

Leavitt rallied in the bottom of the inning to tie it. Adrie Newton led off with a double. After an Annie Castonguay sacrifice, Newton scored on a Sarah Pare grounder that was misplayed at second. Perkins followed with her second hit of the game.

After Gardiner got the second out, Morin singled to right. Higgins chose to hold the runner at third, unsure whether she had the speed to score from second on a shallow hit. When the right fielder bobbled the ball, it was too late to capitalize. Rollins struck out the next batter to end the inning.

“I thought about it,” said Higgins of sending the runner. “When she fumbled it there, she probably could have (scored) but you never know if they’re going to field it cleanly or not.”

Gardiner retook the lead in the eighth. With one out, Banister hit a ground-rule double and took third on a wild pitch.

“It was huge,” said Shaw. “She’s been hitting solid for us. She wanted a triple badly. “

Smith followed with a fly ball to right that allowed Banister to tag up and score.

In the bottom of the inning, Shaw went to Smith, hoping to put a little doubt in the Hornet’s heads, especially after Leavitt produced three hits the previous inning off Rollins.

“We wanted to put a little question in their minds,” said Shaw. “That’s what I was hoping for.”

Smith faced the top of the order and got a pop out and two strike outs to end the game.

“We got the hits when we needed it,” said Shaw. “We battled back and forth pretty well. Both teams got key hits, and then we came back and battled back in the eighth.”

[email protected]