JAY – Nothing like a quick three-run lead to help the best pitcher in the Mountain Valley Conference to loosen up.
“That’s all I kept telling the girls before the game, we’ve got to get some insurance runs,” said Jay pitcher Bree Loon. “It relaxed everyone. Those three runs really made a big difference.”
Pitching with the early cushion, Loon scattered seven hits and struck out nine to lead the top-ranked Jay Tigers to a 6-1 victory over No. 8 Lisbon in the Western Class C quarterfinals.
Jay (16-1) advances to the semifinals Saturday against Telstar.
After Loon stranded a runner on second with no outs in the first inning. the Tigers jumped on Lisbon pitcher Jen Hogan. Kaylee DeMillo led off with a triple to right center and scored on Lindsey McDonald’s single over the third-base bag. Loon then singled for the Jay’s third straight hit.
McDonald scored on Desire Castonguay’s sacrifice fly to left, and Loon later scored to make it 3-0 on Brittany Frailey’s infield single.
Besides limiting Lisbon’s bunting options, the lead also allowed Loon to relax and rely on the play of her defense.
“When we have insurance runs, I know if a girl gets a hit, it’s not the end of the world,” said Loon.
McDonald made some key plays at shortstop, while right fielder Frailey made a catch on her knees to rob Kelly Campbell of extra bases and kept Lisbon away from a big inning with Jay still nursing a 3-0 edge in the fifth inning.
After Frailey’s catch for the second out, Hogan and Soleil Mathieu hit back-to-back singles. Alert baserunning by Mathieu put runners on second and third, before Loon retired Belle Mathieu on a pop up to end the threat.
“Lisbon is a real tough club,” said Jay coach Robin Roberts. “We worked on our defense this week. They’re going to put the bat on the ball. We played them two other times and they’ve done it every time.”
Jay then put the game out of reach with three unearned runs on a pair of errors and singles by Loon and Sara Fetterhoff.
“Bree Loon is a very good pitcher and they have a solid team around her,” said Lisbon coach Mike Fortier. “They made the plays when we put it in the field and they hit the ball when they needed to.”
The Greyhounds finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth on a Nicky Strople triple and Christy McAuliffe’s RBI single.
Soleil Mathieu led Lisbon with three hits.
Hogan (nine hits, two strikeouts, no walks) settled down after the rocky start and retired 12 of the next 14 Jay hitters before allowing three unearned runs in the fifth.
DeMillo and Loon had two hits apiece to lead Jay’s nine-hit attack.
“The last few games we came out a little slow,” said DeMillo. “Once we got those runs, the momentum carried us and everyone started hitting the ball.”
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