Windham softball clobbers Bishop Guertin to improve to 2-0 in D1

NASHUA – There was never a doubt about the outcome of this one.

The Windham High School softball team made the journey to Bishop Guertin on Friday afternoon, and the Jaguars dominated the Cardinals with a 24-hit performance and only allowed four hits during a 23-2, five-inning triumph in Division I action.

From an offensive perspective, Windham shared the wealth, highlighted by Peyton Gravell (3 for 5, two doubles, six RBIs, two runs), Lily McGinnis (4 for 5, two RBIs, run), Makayla Panich (3 for 4, four RBIs, three runs), Aislinn Milner (3 for 5, double, four runs, three RBIs), Jasmine Moskowitz (3 for 5, four runs, three RBIs) and Lindsey Murphy (3 for 4, two doubles, four runs, RBI).

“We are up in Division I now and our kids are stepping it up,” said Jaguars coach Dave Hedge, who picked up his hundredth career win at Windham during a 9-8 season-opening victory over Merrimack on Wednesday. “We played hard and hit the ball well. Whenever you start out a season 2-0, it is great.”

The Jaguars were on the mark defensively as well, only making one error and turning a pair of smooth double plays thanks to some standout fielding from shortstop Larissa Piessens, Milner (third base) and first baseman Grace Bono.

In the third with one down, Piessens fielded a ground ball at short, and then immediately touched the second-base bag before rifling a throw over to first for the double play. In the fourth, Milner stepped on third and gunned out the runner at first thanks to a long stretch by Bono, as the two girls were able to turn the double play despite the ball being hit lightly.

“We played well defensively,” Hedge said. “We turned the double plays well, which we have been working on and they put it together.”

Windham hit Guertin (0-3) with six runs and seven hits in the first inning, highlighted by two-run singles by Moskowitz and Panich. The rally ended with a sacrifice fly by Gravell, as Panich crossed home with the sixth run.

The Cardinals put a dent in the Jaguars’ lead in the bottom half of the inning, as Petra Bajdek connected on a one-out, ground-rule double down the left-field line. During the next at bat, Stephanie Coulombe was hit by a pitch, and two batters later, Taylor Cushion ripped a two-run double to left-center, pulling the hosts to within 6-2.

“We did not show up (Friday),” Cardinals coach Leah Maciejewski said. “We talked with our girls in the huddle about how we need to be able to do the little things. We just did not do that and Windham is a great hitting team. Unfortunately, we let that get in our heads pretty early and we were not able to come back from it.”

The Jaguars kept their foot on the throttle and blew the game wide open with a nine-run, seven-hit push in the third. During the frame, Gravell tallied a two-run single up the middle, Piessens crushed an RBI triple to left, and the rally ended with an RBI walk by Gravell, giving Windham a 15-2 advantage.

The run support was more than enough for Jaguars starting pitcher Amelia Williamson, who went the distance, giving up only two runs and four hits, while striking out two and walking one. For the most part, her control on the mound was impressive, and she recorded a 1-2-3 second inning.

Windham tacked on four more runs in the fourth, as a two-run, two-out double to left by Gravell put the Jaguars up 19-2. Four more runs crossed home in the top half of the fifth, as an RBI single to center by Leeten Adolt ended the scoring.

“BG is a young club and they played hard like it was a 1-0 game,” Hedge said. “It was really fun to see and they have a lot to look forward to. There is always something for us to work on, as we need more patience at the plate. We had a few at bats that we could have done better.”

The Jaguars will travel to Pinkerton for a 4 p.m. showdown Monday, and the Cardinals, who were competitive in their first two games, suffering two-run losses to Spaulding and Salem, will look to get back on track with a 4 p.m. matchup Monday against visiting Bedford.

“The pieces are there for us to be a solid team; it is just about working and putting them together with the right timing,” Maciejewski said. “We hit the ball hard a couple times (Friday) but right at people. Windham also made some fantastic defensive plays. Everybody needs a game like this to build character.”