JAY — Krissy Doughty was thinking nothing but positive thoughts Friday. And if her mind was energized, she knew her arm would likely follow.

The Winthrop pitcher had already hurled three softball games this week and had another Friday afternoon. If there were any signs of weariness, the senior didn’t show it.

“I came in with a positive head,” Doughty said. “That’s always helps. If you come into the game with a good head, you finish with a good head.”

Doughty allowed only four hits and struck out 11 to blank Spruce Mountain 7-0 in a Mountain Valley Conference showdown. It was the fifth win in the Ramblers’ last six games.

“This is my fourth game this week,” Doughty said. “I had the day off (Thursday). I think that really helped. I felt really good going into this game. I just went after them and threw hard.”

Though the Phoenix got an early hit from Ladesta Tracy, Spruce Mountain was held hitless for the next three innings. Kaylee Leclerc had a hit in the fifth. Grace Ryan singled in the sixth and Patti Ryan singled in the seventh.

The Phoenix (4-5), which needed this win to boost them up the standings in Western B, were without three players, including two starters at short and first.

“That made it more difficult for us coming into the game because we ended up have to play several kids in unfamiliar positions,” Spruce Mountain Coach Gavin Kane said.

Winthrop (7-2) got three hits and three RBI from Tessie Moody. Abby Helm had a hit and drove in a run. Lily Ouellette also had an RBI.

“When the younger girls get in there and can put the ball in play, it really boosts their ability to play the game,” said Winthrop coach Bob Ouellette, who needed other plays to deliver at the plate when lead-off hitter Cat Ouellette was walked four times and reached on an error. “It makes everything more positive. As a sophomore, (Moody) gets two more years to play. So to come out and put the ball in play and have some positives, it’s just going to help her improve.”

Spruce Mountain pitcher Emily Keene only allowed six hits, but she walked 10 and hit two batters. The Phoenix also had three errors, all in the third that helped Winthrop turn a 3-0 lead into 5-0.

“This is the fourth game where we had two innings in each where there was a combination of walks and errors that really hurt us,” said Kane, whose team has scored just one run in the last two games. “Combine that with the fact that we’re not hitting the ball that well, we’re not hitting with authority. That’s something I really expected us to go. It’s made it tough the last week and a half.”

Winthrop, ranked fourth in Western C, made it 1-0 in the first when Cat Ouellette walked and scored on an Abby Helm sacrifice fly. The lead went to 2-0 in the second. Lily Beauregard was hit by a pitch. She later scored on a Lily Ouellette ground out.

In the third, Winthrop produced three hits. The Phoenix still nearly escaped the inning when catcher Grace Ryan made a nice play to tag out a runner and Keene got a fly out for the second out. Doughty then singled and Moody drove  in the run for the 3-0 lead.

“I was just trying to move runners along and trying to get runs in,” Moody said.

The fourth featured the three Spruce Mountain errors and one Winthrop hit. Again, the Ramblers scored the runs with two outs. Alyssa Arsenault scored on a error. Then Moody singled home another run for the 5-0 lead.

In the sixth, Moody had an RBI double. Then Cat Ouellette scored in the seventh on a wild pitch.

“I think we just took advantage of them making mistakes,” Moody said.

The Phoenix couldn’t put a dent in the lead. Tracy was the only runner to get on through the first three innings. Grace Ryan reached second when her hit was dropped in the outfield despite a nice effort by shortstop Lily Ouellette.

After Leclerc singled in the fifth, Doughty struck out two and got a fly out to short. The Phoenix got two on in both the sixth and seventh thanks to a single and walk in each inning. Doughty got an inning-ending strikeout in the sixth and then fielded a ball hit back to her for the final out in the seventh.

“I was definitely tired Wednesday, but today I as throwing full throttle,” Doughty said. “I think I’ve put a lot of work in trying to conquer that.”

kmills@sunjournal.com