Durham — Hitting has been the key for Waterford so far during its run through the 12-year old Connecticut Little League Softball tournaments. The bats got Waterford through the District 10 tournament and now the sectionals.

Waterford became the Connecticut Section 3 champion Monday night after beating Coginchaug 13-3 in four innings at George Atwell Field.

The win capped Waterford’s dominance in the tournament, where it outscored opponents 31-3 in  three games.

“Our hitting has been lights out for us,” Waterford coach Pam Pinch said. “We knew that if our hitting was on from the get-go we would be good.”

With the win, Waterford joins Jewett City, North Branford and either Seymour or East Granby in the Connecticut state tournament beginning Wednesday in Simsbury.

The scoring started early for Waterford. Milly Walker drove in a run with a single. After Bella Williams reached base on an error, Anna Donahue drove in both her and Walker to cap off a three-run first inning.

After making it 4-0 through the second inning, Coginchaug bounced back with a three-run third that was spaked by an Erin Donlan two-run double.

“We haven’t let up many runs this year, so the girls got a little nervous,” Pinch said. “But, I told them to just keep swinging the bats and we will be good.”

The girls did keep swinging and it turned into a seven-run burst in the fourth inning to open up the game to 11-3. Amy Pinch drove in Liliana Kramer and Tori Kiefer on an infield base hit. Maddie Burrows then cleared the bases with a two-run double that went into the left-field gap. Williams collected two more RBI with a single.

The mercy rule came into effect after a Donahue double that scored Burrows and Walker.

Angela Colonis picked up another win for Waterford, pitching all four innings. Through the eight games in districts and sectionals, she has only allowed seven runs.

For Pinch, she has seen a contribution from all 13 members of the team.

“Most teams usually just have the some starters contribute, but we have seen an impact from every girl on the team," Pinch said.

Waterford hopes to continue its success in Simsbury against the top teams in Connecticut.

“We just have to continue doing our thing,” Pinch said. “If we pitch and hit like we can I think we can keep this thing going.”

a.turner@theday.com