The Pilgrim softball team held on to get an opening day win over La Salle on the road last week to start the spring season.

The Pats scored a pair of runs in the first inning on hits by Alyssa Twomey and Audra McDonnell, then Adrianna Pettinato would add another in the second to make it 3-0.

The Rams fought back though, as Claire Boulanger knocked in a run in the fourth and then another in the bottom of the seventh. Twomey, though, took control in the circle and would strike out the final two batters to close out the win.

The reigning Gatorade Player of the Year was stellar in the circle for Pilgrim, finishing the day allowing just two hits, two runs and striking out 13 batters.

“Alyssa is the best player in the state, I think everyone knows that. (Relying on her and our defense) is going to be our M.O. this season,” said Pilgrim coach Carlos Rodas.

Catcher Genna D’Amato had a big day for Pilgrim, picking up two hits and scoring a run. She also helped the team escape a jam in the fourth inning, throwing out runners at both second and third base to end the threat.

“She’s our rock. She’s caught Alyssa for the past two years now so we’re very confident with her back there. She had two big hits for us today to get us going. She’s going to be a big reason why we play as long as we do,” said Rodas.

Although Pilgrim was able to escape with a win, the bats went cold after the second inning as the Pats failed to get another hit. Inexperience in the back half of the lineup came into play, according to Rodas.

“In the middle innings, for the younger kids, I think the moment got a little too big for them, so hopefully by the time we get to June, they’ll be able to rise to the occasion instead of waiting for Alyssa to strike out the last nine batters,” said Rodas. “The moment just got big, the game tightened up. There was a big hit by (la salle 4) and I think that tightened the noose on everyone. I think it was just a little too much for the young kids at this point.”

This spring figures to be another dog fight in the always-crowded Division I field. Rodas and company were thrilled to get a win against a powerhouse like La Salle and are confident in knowing they have the league’s most dominant two-way player in Twomey.

“Alyssa is one of the very few kids that improves every time she steps on the field. It started her freshman year, the first time I met her. She comes back every week with another tool. Kudos to her, we’re lucky to have her,” said Rodas. “We knew we were walking into the lion’s den. We knew that they are going to be there in the end. It was good to make a statement, but we have a lot of work to do.”