Jun. 3—LONDONDERRY — In her first career playoff game, Londonderry High School freshman pitcher Olivia Cutuli showed the composure of a veteran.
The righty scattered seven hits over seven innings, the last of which she gutted out, to lead the Lancers softball team to a 2-1 NHIAA Division I preliminary-round home victory over Windham on Wednesday.
Londonderry (13-6) will host Salem (16-1) in the quarterfinals Saturday at 4 p.m. Salem defeated Timberlane of Plaistow, 9-4, on Wednesday to advance.
Windham, which fell to the Lancers, 18-3, in the regular season, finished the spring with a 9-7 record.
Cutuli, who throws a fastball, drop ball, changeup and screwball, struck out six and walked three. Her lone earned run came on Windham senior pitcher Jasmine Moskowitz’s solo home run to left field in the sixth inning.
“She is something special,” Londonderry coach Dave Johnson said of Cutuli. “Very competitive player. Great pitcher. In my mind, she’s one of the best in the state.”
The Jaguars did not let Cutuli close out the win with ease. Trailing by a run, Windham put runners on first and second base with one out in the seventh inning. Lancers shortstop Olivia Chau threw Windham’s Lauren Brooks out at third base on a fielder’s choice for the frame’s second out and Cutuli forced a ground out to end the game.
“I knew that I had a team behind me that could make plays,” Cutuli said of her mindset in the seventh inning. “I pitched to the batters and I knew that my team could make plays behind me.”
Windham coach Dave Hedge said his team hit the ball hard and felt Chau’s throw that got Brooks out at third base was a key point in the final frame.
“(Chau) had a real solid defensive game (Wednesday) for Londonderry and that was a big difference for them because those balls were hit,” Hedge said. “Any other day, they were probably singles.
“It’s a different ball game there and it’s a different mindset up to bat with runners on second and third versus first and second.”
Chau also provided the game-winning at-bat for Londonderry in the fifth inning. After 4 1/2 scoreless frames, Chau belted a bases-loaded, one-out double down the left-field line to bring home teammates Sarah Frazier and Lauren Laudani and open the game’s scoring. Frazier got on base with a one-out bunt single and Laudani followed up with an infield single.
“We weren’t making good contact so that’s why I went to the short game,” Johnson said. “I just wanted them to put the ball in play.”
Cutuli also hit a double and Frazier had the only multi-hit day for the Lancers with two singles.
Moskowitz, whose primary position is second base, tossed a five-hitter with two strikeouts over her complete-game performance and went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Jaguars. Windham also received a double from Larissa Piessens and two walks from Bella Yantosca. Jaguars center fielder Cami Belair made two impressive catches to deny Londonderry of two hits.