WELLS — Strong pitching and steady offense led the Wells softball team past visiting Kennebunk 10-1 Monday afternoon.

The star of the game was Wells pitcher Anya Chase, who pitched seven innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out 14 batters. Chase also went 3-for-4 at the plate, including an RBI double.

Wells coach Kevin Fox was pleased with Chase’s performance.

“Fantastic, she was just fantastic out there. She is one of the purest hitters that I’ve had the pleasure of coaching, she also does a nice job pitching … she is doing a great job for us right now,” said Fox.

Kennebunk coach Kortney Nedeau was also impressed with Chase, as she admitted her team’s struggles throughout the contest.

“I think she was hitting her spots. She was hitting her spots well, she was moving the ball around the plate,” said Nedeau. “She kept our batters off balance … I think the catcher had a good game as well, they worked really well together.”

Kylie DeFeo took the circle for the Rams, pitching five innings and allowing seven runs on nine hits while striking out five. Sydney Waitt pitched the sixth inning, allowing three runs on two hits.

The Warriors took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning off an RBI single from Olivia Clay and later a run off a throwing error. Wells would add to its lead in the second thanks to an RBI double from Chase and an RBI triple from Karissa Kenyon, making it 4-0.

Kennebunk would get its sole run in the fourth off an RBI single from Sam Henry, but the Warriors would continue to pour it on in the fifth.

In the fifth inning, the Warriors scored three runs thanks to an RBI single from Cassandra Haye and two more on passed balls.

Wells would score three more runs in the sixth inning, one on a passed ball, one on a throwing error and another on an RBI single from Clay to secure the win.

Fox was happy with his team’s consistency at the plate.

“It’s good to have the opportunity to have runners on to score. That’s what we are working towards and we have some pretty talented hitters so we are looking for more consistency,” said Fox.

Considering the youth of his team, Fox has seen plenty of improvement throughout the season and hopes the trend continues moving forward.

“We’re moving in the right direction. We have a young group of girls so we knew there would be a bit of a learning curve … especially with the mental part. But they’ve worked hard, they’ve challenged themselves and they have gotten themselves into some close games that they lost early on, but are now starting to win so we’re moving in the right direction,” said Fox.

Nedeau believed the difference was in-game adjustments.

“This was just one of those days, I think the thing is to just make adjustments on the fly. Today, we didn’t get a hit until the third time around, so I think we need to be able to jump on it early and figure out what adjustments we need to make. If you don’t adjust early and make it a game it’s not going to be one and it’ll be too late,” said Nedeau.

As his team progresses, Fox hopes the Warriors’ effort will continue to grow as well.

“Patience, being patient with yourself and being patient with your teammates. There’s a fine balance between being competitive and beating yourself up,” said Fox. “They’re in there and they want to win, but there will be times when you fail and that’s OK as long as you keep trying and there’s improvement.”

— Sports Staff Writer Alex Sponseller can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.