GRAY — York High softball coach Kevin Giannino knows that nothing is going to be easy in the Class B South race this year. That’s why he was especially pleased with the Wildcats’ 8-0 win over Gray-New Gloucester on Monday afternoon.

Abby Orso pitched a one-hitter, striking out 14, and Kayla Dredge drove in three runs as York won its second road game in three days. Dredge had four hits, including two doubles.

York’s Hannah Gennaro cheers on her teammates during the Wildcats’ 8-0 win over Gray-New Gloucester on Monday in Gray. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

“That’s a good win for us against a very good team, a well-coached team,” said Giannino. “That’s a good win for us on the road … There’s a lot of equity in this league. Everybody has a good pitcher and everybody has four, five tough hitters in the middle of the order that makes it tough. You have to bring your best game or you’re going to lose.”

York improved to 6-2; the Patriots dropped to 2-3.

Orso has regrouped since the Wildcats lost back-to-back games last week. Against the Patriots, she allowed only three baserunners – a walk and a hit batter in addition to a single by Alexa Thayer – while pitching to the corners of the plate. Six of her strikeouts came on called third strikes. Orso retired the final 12 batters.

“She was really dominating,” said Giannino, noting that she used her fastball and screwball effectively.

She was. But she had plenty of help, especially from Dredge, the senior catcher who hit an RBI double in the first and a two-run double in the fifth. She also had singles in the third and sixth innings that set up runs.

Two of her hits came after the Patriots intentionally walked Orso.

“I get angry when they do that,” said Dredge.”I want to prove to them that we have a few good hitters behind her so that hopefully there’s a better chance she can still come home.”

Gray-New Gloucester shortstop Lydia Espling’s tags out York’s Ellyson Bourgoine at second during York’s 8-0 win on Monday in Gray-New Gloucester. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

“I’m glad she gets angry so I can score,” said Orso, who scored three runs.

Orso scored in the first, after being intentionally walked, on Dredge’s first double. She scored in the third, after being intentionally walked and moving to third on a hit-and-run single to right by Dredge, on an infield ground out by Abby Kavanaugh. Meg Bachelder had an RBI single in the third as well.

York scored four runs on five hits in the fifth to break it open. Dredge had a two-run double, one run scored on an infield grounder by Bachelder that was mishandled and the fourth came in on a single by Isabelle Babcock.

That was really the only inning in which Patriots pitcher Madison Pelletier struggled. She struck out eight and walked only two other besides Orso.

“We’ve had a couple of games where we’re just building off the improvement of settling in and working out the kinks of having new players at new positions,” said Gray-NG Coach Amanda Harmon. “We’re just waiting for that game where we can put it all together.”

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