MONMOUTH

Lisbon struck first. Monmouth Academy struck often.

The Mustangs kept an early deficit to a minimum, then rallied in a big way to down the MVC rival Greyhounds 10-3 in a Mountain Valley Conference softball clash on Wednesday.

Kipri Steele led off the game with a bunt single and moved to second on an error. A Carly Drischler sacrifice bunt put her at third before Brittany Norman singled in Steele for a quick 1-0 lead for Lisbon (1-1).

The rally fizzled out just as quickly, with Monmouth (4-1) starting pitcher Emily Chasse inducing a pair of groundouts to avoid further damage.

“It was huge, and she was able to refocus her energy,” Monmouth co-coach Dave Kaplan said. “In that first game, I think she let it get to her a little bit, when Oak Hill started scoring. But this is a different Emily Chasse now. She’s starting to really feel like she can be a dominating pitcher and hold down good lineups.”

Lisbon coach Terri

Tlumac said it was disappointing that her team couldn’t put more runs on the board in the first.

“Especially with one out and I had two runners on. You have to produce,” Tlumac said. “And this was our second game, which is also one of the reasons that they don’t have it, they’re not all here yet. It’ll come with time, patience.”

The Mustangs didn’t answer the Greyhounds start immediately, stranding two runners in the first after an error and a walk, but Abby Ferland led off the bottom of the second with a single.

A fielder’s choice play at the plate prevented Ferland from scoring, but a two-out, two-run single from Mariah Herr two batters after the out at home got Monmouth on the board.

A 2-1 lead turned into a 6- 1 advantage an inning later. The Mustangs smacked five hits, including doubles by Tia Day, Ferland and Chasse.

“After a couple innings we tend to swing our bats around and we’re more focused,” Monmouth sophomore Haylee Langlois said. “ The first inning we’re always rough. Every game we start out like that, but after the first inning we get right on top and we start swinging the bats, and our head’s more into the game.”

Langlois was robbed of a hit in the third with a shoestring catch by Lisbon rightfielder Hannah Martel. Revenge came an inning later, when Langlois’ double to right made it through and scored two runs during a three- run frame. Ferland drove Langlois in with her third hit of the game.

“ Some of those balls were really stroked really well,” Kaplan said. “They weren’t cheap hits.”

Singles by Julie Johnson and Emily Kaplan produced another run for the Mustangs in the fifth, making it 10-1. Monmouth was just one run away from its fourth straight mercy-rule victory, but couldn’t reach a 10-run advantage.

The Greyhounds made sure of a full seven-inning game with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Mallory Fairbanks stroked a two- out double and scored on Giana Russo’s RBI single in the sixth, and Morgan Fenderson moved around the bases in the seventh after leading off with a walk.

“They just don’t roll over and die, which is an expectation, and something I enjoy as a coach,” Tlumac said, “ that they all have that grit and that determination within themselves to not want to just ‘well, this is the seventh inning, let’s just move on,’ that they want to continue to fight.”

Lisbon collected four of its six hits in the last three innings. Ali Sult’s two-out single in the fifth broke a streak of 11 straight batters set down by Chasse, which started after Jasmin Le led off the second with a walk.

The Mustangs stroked 12 hits off Lisbon starter Alyssa Hall.

The Greyhounds are back in action today at home against Dirigo. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.