By Chris Paul
The Londonderry High School Softball team finished the regular season last week with two more convincing wins to head into the Division I playoffs riding an eight-game winning streak.
The Lady Lancers wound up with a stellar 17-2 record and in third place in the division standings.
On Monday, May 23, the team hosted the Salem High School Lady Blue Devils and pounded out seven runs in three innings to Salem’s one-run in the first.
Sophomore Olivia Cutuli was the winning pitcher, giving up just one unearned run to start and striking out 12 batters with six hits and zero bases on balls.
Senior slugger Olivia Chau hit a three-run dinger in the fourth inning for the final three runs of the game.
Junior Nina Covino and senior Emily Rivera both had doubles in the game to contribute to the scoring.
Chau had three runs batted in, Covino had two and Zoey Nelson also had two RBIs.
The Lady Lancers ended the regular season at Goffstown High School, where they got their 17th win with a 7-3 victory over the Lady Grizzlies.
Mya Gaspie and Cutuli combined efforts in the circle for LHS with Gaspie pitching four and getting the win.
Chau had another good day at the plate, going three for three with four RBIs and another homerun.
The Lancer batters started strong, belting a double, two singles and a home run to start the game with a 4-0 lead.
The LHS squad took a 6-0 lead in the top of the third, with Chau being intentionally walked followed by a single by Covino, a walk by Lauren Laudini and a single by Madi Bickford.
Salem got their two runs in the bottom of that inning, but the Lancer never let them into the game.
Rivera and Liana Sawyer were each two for four at the plate in the win.
The team plays the #14 seed Spaulding, in the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday, June 1, at home.