St. Dom’s builds an early lead while topping Sacopee Valley.

AUBURN – Emily Goss’ triple and a subsequent RBI single by Abby Gilbert helped St. Dom’s secure a 6-2 victory over the previously unbeaten and defending Class C state champion Sacopee Valley.

“After Sarah (Caron) got on and Amanda (Collette) got on, I was like All right, we’re going to do it,'” said Goss. “I was so nervous. I just prayed before I went up there.”

After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, the Hawks (4-1) had battled back against Collette. A Felicia Libby double and two-base error got Sacopee on the board in the fourth, and a Katie Pike home run in the fifth made it 3-2. Michelle Libby, still recovering from a knee injury in the offseason, held the Saints to just three hits through the first five innings but four hits in the sixth, including Goss’ triple proved crucial.

“We were kind of wondering how Michelle was going to be,” said Goss. “We knew it was going to be important because they were in ninth (in the Western C Heals), and we were in seventh.”

Sacopee and St. Dom’s have met in the last three Western C championship games and should be contenders again. After plenty of easy victories against lesser teams, both squads relished the chance to face each other for the first of three meetings this regular season. All of a sudden, however, the margin for error for both squads was limited.

“It’s been that way for 10 years,” said Sacopee coach Tim Vacchiano. “Whoever makes the first couple of mistakes losses. We know teams are going to bunt on us because of our pitcher. We knew it was coming. We’ve worked on our different rotations and different coverages, but it hasn’t been done when it really matters.”

The Saints (4-1) used its bunts and baserunning to build a quick 3-0 lead. After Erica Dorso led off with a walk, an error on an Elisha Dorso bunt put runners on the corners. Erica Dorso scored on a passed ball. After Laura Robitzek reached on a fielder’s choice, bunts by Caron and Collette brought in Elisha Dorso and Robitzek. With Libby’s lack of mobility on the mound and missed coverage by the Hawks infield, the Saints capitalized.

“They did what they were supposed to do,” said St. Dom’s coach Dan Samson. “They bunted well when they were supposed to. They played the short game really well. That makes a big difference.”

Sacopee did get some fine defensive plays from shortstop Shaila Delea on a Robitzek shallow hit to the outfield and catcher Katie Pike threw out Erica Dorso trying to steal. The Saints also made their share of plays, including a key double play in the fifth. Down 3-2 after Pike’s homer, Mallory Barrows had singled with no outs. On a Colleen Donovan bunt, Barrows tried to take third. Gilbert covered first and made a fine throw to outfielder Ilissa Vallee covering third.

“That double play was a big play,” said Samson. “Otherwise, it would have been tied up.”