PENACOOK – The bottom of the first inning for Merrimack Valley’s offense on Thursday proceeded as follows: E5, single, fielder’s choice, grand slam, single, walk, single, E6, double, flyout, single, flyout, double, caught stealing.

Thirteen batters came to plate. Ten runs came around to score. And it was just the beginning of the offensive outburst from the Pride against Kennett in a 19-1 win in the final home game of the regular season.

Liv Lacasse turned in a masterful day both at the plate and in the circle. She was 4-for-4 with three RBI and pitched a complete game (five innings), allowing just one hit (the first batter of the game) and striking out four. 

Now 10-5, MV sits in seventh place in a loaded Division II, as the Pride gear up for a playoff run.

Here are three notes from Thursday’s demolition of the Eagles (3-10):

Aggressive approach at the plate pays off

MV head coach Kevin O’Brien had a one-word message for his team at the plate on Thursday: attack. Don’t sit around waiting; put the opposing pitcher on her heels. That’s exactly what the Pride did.

Batter after batter came to the plate ready to hit. In the 10-run first inning, only four of the 13 hitters saw more than three pitches in their at bats.

“Biggest thing was that we told the kids that we want everybody coming up attacking,” O’Brien said. “We want to attack. Sometimes kids like to see a lot of pitches. That’s some of the strategy sometimes, but at the end of the day, sometimes the first pitch is the best pitch. We talk about zone hitting all the time; if it’s in your zone, go after it. We went after the zone. We picked out good pitches to hit, and we drove the ball.”

The grand slam from senior Kalee Keyser set the tone for MV, after Kennett scored in the top of the first inning, and the offense cascaded from there.

Lacasse dazzles on both sides of the ball

A complete game in the circle and a 4-for-4 day at the plate could be the best performance ever for many softball players; for Lacasse, it’s just another day at the office. The senior right-hander, who’s been such a key cog to the Pride’s success over her career, showed why once again in her final regular season home game.

“One thing about Liv, she manages the game well. She's been doing that for three years,” O’Brien said. “When she gets down in the hole, she knows what to do, she knows when you gotta come with something. Quite frankly, without her, we would be a much different team. She's one of the top pitchers in the league.

“She's definitely our go-to person. There’s no question.”

MV has 10 wins this season; Lacasse has pitched in eight of them.

MV has one more game to sharpen things up before the playoffs

Contrary to some area teams playing as many as three games in the next week, MV has just one more contest next Wednesday against a talented Hollis-Brookline team (11-3), so the players have some more time to rest up for a postseason run.

The Pride sitting in seventh place might not seem overwhelming, but given the quality of teams in D-II this season, from Coe-Brown to John Stark to Bow, almost every game is a grind.

“It’s a great area, and it’s a lot of fun,” O’Brien said. “It’s a lot of competition, so we enjoy that.”

As for what O’Brien hopes to see in the regular season finale? Continue staying aggressive.

“When you approach the plate, in my opinion, in an assertive manner, good things happen to you,” he said. “You don’t get down in the count. You don’t allow the pitcher to control you; you get to control the pitcher.”

On Thursday, MV certainly did just that.

]]>