GARDINER — The Gardiner softball team needed a few clutch hits, and got them.

The Tigers needed to make a few key defensive plays, and did that, as well.

Above all, Gardiner needed another strong performance from pitcher Kristal Smith to extend their season.

And, boy, did they get one.

Smith struck out eight, allowed just two hits and wiggled out of a first-inning jam to propel No. 8 Gardiner to a 2-0 win over Winslow in an Eastern B preliminary game Wednesday.

“We definitely came ready to play,” Smith said. “We played a good game. We got some good hits and the defense played great.”

Brittany Rollins belted a mammoth solo home run and Kelsey Moody added an RBI single to lead the Tigers (10-7), who will play at No. 1 Oceanside (15-1) in a quarterfinal game Thursday. No. 9 Winslow, which beat Gardiner 7-3 in the regular season, finished 9-8.

“Games are won by the teams that make the fewest mistakes,” Winslow coach Beth Fisher said. “We’re really inexperienced, and I think this time of the season it started to show.”

Smith was dominant. She allowed just six base runners, including just two in the final three innings. She threw 61 of her 93 pitches (66 percent) for strikes.

“Kristal pitched very well,” Gardiner coach Ginger Shaw said. “She was very composed.”

Winslow was in position to grab an early lead when it put runners on second and third with nobody out in the top of the first. Jess Pare was hit by a pitch to lead off the game before Gabby Languet reached on a bunt single to third. The two runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch.

“Sometimes I get nervous,” Smith said. “I was like, ‘I have to get some outs.’ “

That’s just what she did.

Jenn Poulin lined out to Smith before the Tigers executed a double play to end the threat. Alli LeClair hit a grounder back to Smith, who looked Pare back to the third and threw to first for the out. Pare then tried to score but Rollins, Gardiner’s first baseman, threw a strike to catcher Steph Plourde to complete the double play.

“I was pretty nervous coming out of that inning,” Shaw said. “But we settled down and then I settled down.”

Moody, Gardiner’s No. 9 hitter, gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead when she legged out an infield hit with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the second.

Moody would then make a terrific diving catch in right field an inning later.

“We got in a groove defensively,” Shaw said. “That was a great catch in right field.”

It stayed 1-0 until Rollins belted a fastball over the orange-meshed fence in left-center with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.

“It was my first home run of the season,” she said. “It was exciting. I was hoping it was gone but I wasn’t sure.”

Smith allowed a single in the top of the seventh but also struck out the side to end it.

“Any win is a good win,” Shaw said. “We’ll take it.”

Jordyn Pomerleau and Languet had the lone Winslow hits. Losing pitcher Megan Richards struck out three and allowed five hits.

“To have a winning season, I’m proud of that,” Fisher said. “We’re young and will return most of the team. We’ll be back.”

Bill Stewart — 621-5640

bstewart@centralmaine.com

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