ORANGE — The Pioneer Valley Regional High School softball team entered Tuesday’s game against the Mahar Senators on a three-game win streak, scoring 28 runs in its previous game and 46 runs during the streak.
But that meant little to the Senators, who used nine hits to create eight runs in their 8-5 win over the Panthers.
“It’s a good win,” said Mahar coach Jerry Duguay. “I believe this is the first time we’ve beaten them since I’ve been coach and this will be the third year, so we haven’t beaten them in quite a while so that’s good for us.”
Megan Rich pitched well for the Senators (2-3), pitching a complete game, giving up five runs on six hits while leaving 10 PVRS (4-3) runners on base.
“I know she can zone it in when she’s ready,” said Duguay. “She came through in the end.”
Skylar Dodge knocked in four runs for the Senators. She hit a two-run home run to center field in the first inning to give the Senators a 2-0 lead. She also was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second inning and hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to put her team up 6-3.
“She can (set the tone),” said Duguay. “She’s got all the power in the world. I’m trying to teach her to just hit the ball, not have to hit a home run every time and naturally, when she swings, the ball’s going. So she doesn’t have to aim for the fence every time. If she swings and makes contact, her power dictates where the ball is going and it goes a long ways when she connects.”
The Senators scored five runs off Panthers’ starter Kaylee Gibson, who left after two innings. After Dodge hit a home run in the first, the Senators tagged Gibson for three runs in the second off of one hit, three walks and two hit batsmen.
With two outs in the second inning, the Senators loaded the bases when Rich was hit by a pitch, Jordan Fournier walked, scoring Juliana Herbert, who doubled to begin the inning. Dodge was then hit by a pitch, scoring Keanna Thompson, followed by a walk to Sarah Graeff to score Rich, giving the Senators a 5-0 lead.
The Panthers moved within two in the fourth inning on a two-run single by Shelby Avery, cutting the Senators’ lead to 5-3. The Senators responded with back-to-back singles by Rich and Fournier, followed by a sacrifice fly to left by Dodge to score Rich, who made it to second on a stolen base and third on Fournier’s hit, to make it 6-3 Senators.
PVRS made it 6-5 in the top of the fifth. After back-to-back walks, Annie Johnson hit a ball into left field to score Steph Scoville. A sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third and a grounder to first allowed Jill Gadreault to score from third base to make it 6-5.
The Senators responded with a run in the fifth on an infield single by Lani DeDiego, who pinch-hit for catcher Alexis Mainville-Schaefer and another in the sixth on an infield single by Graeff.
“(Scoville) came in and she throws heat,” said Duguay. “She’s not slow and I just said be aggressive. Swing, swing, swing. Go at it, not at stupid pitches, but yeah, we’re learning.”
Rich silenced the Panthers in the final two frames, allowing only two singles and no runner to advance past second base.
Rich also scored three runs for the Senators, going 2-for-3 at the plate with one hit by pitch. Fournier went 2-for-3 with one run and one walk.