SACO — Despite topping 200 pitches only two days earlier, Thornton Academy’s Louisa Colucci still had enough in the tank late in a one-run game.

The junior hurler got out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the sixth and a one-out, two-on predicament in the seventh to secure a 2-1 triumph Monday against Noble.

Colucci, who finished with a six-hitter and 11 strikeouts, explained that she thrives in tight situations.

“We had an 11-inning game (on Saturday) against Gorham, so I was a little tired, but I also felt refreshed and loose,” she said. “I love it when the bases are loaded. I don’t know why. I (guess it) feels like it is a challenge for me to face.”

Noble (1-1) loaded the bases in the sixth on singles by Mackenzie Aleva and Kassidy Lessard followed by Colucci’s first walk, to Jordan Boucher. But the Golden Trojans’ pitcher struck out Lauren Sanger – who had two doubles in her first two at-bats – and induced a soft liner by Abbie Sprague to Kaya O’Connor at first.

Thornton Coach John Provost visited Colucci after the walk, but he didn’t need to say much.

“I went to the mound and told her to trust her stuff,” he said.

In the final inning, Colucci sandwiched two walks around a strikeout, but she got Marissa Copolla to ground out to second base before Aleva, the No. 3 hitter, popped to second to end the game.

“(In the seventh), fatigue was setting in,” Provost said. “I went out and talked about finishing the game with these last two batters and getting out of here.”

Noble Coach Rick Melanson liked his team’s chances with Sanger and Aleva hitting in clutch situations in the sixth and seventh.

“I thought when Lauren Sanger came up with the bases loaded and she had been ripping the ball, that it was a great time to have her up,” Melanson said. “But she didn’t make it.

“(In the seventh), we had the No. 3 hitter up who had hit a hard shot before. But it was one of those games that wasn’t meant to be.”

Thornton (2-0), which has five starters who are freshmen or sophomores, pushed across the go-ahead run in the fifth when Kaitlin Verreault’s drive to center field popped out of Sprague’s glove, allowing Olivia Paradis to score. Paradis reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to second on a walk to Jenica Botting.

Noble opened the scoring in the fourth inning on Sanger’s RBI double that drove home Lessard, who had singled.

Thornton answered in the bottom of the inning when O’Connor scored on a hit by Amanda Bogardus, her second of the game.

Noble pitcher Raegan Kelly allowed six hits and struck out four.

“I know Kelly and I know Louisa, so I told the girls before the game that this is probably going to be a playoff-type game,” Provost said. “We’re young, very young, and we expect to make some mistakes. But they were good today. They made the plays when they had to.”

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