Durham — Talk about a wild roller coaster ride.

Coming off a mistake-filled loss in Friday's Connecticut Senior League (14-15) softball tournament championship round opener, Waterford regrouped and turned in an improved performance in the deciding game.

Waterford scored five quick runs in the first inning and slugged its way to a 13-11 victory over Stafford at the Coginchaug Little League complex.

Next stop: East Regional in Worcester, Mass.

"I was hoping that we won it in the first game,'' said Waterford manager Lori Sykora. "It would have been nicer but the girls like to make me stress.''

Maybe Waterford, which entered Friday's action undefeated, needed the pressure of facing elimination to find its focus and renew its determination ... And a few biting words of encouragement from Sykora.

Something definitely changed after a 5-1 loss in the first game during which Waterford committed seven errors, had three runners thrown out on the base paths and managed just four hits.

In the deciding game, Waterford had clutch hits throughout the lineup and took extra bases at every opportunity while building a big lead. Speedy leadoff batter Mia Brennan was the catalyst for the District 10 champs, contributing two singles, a double and triple while scoring three runs.

Marilyn Childs chipped in three hits and three RBI and Ashley Hancock added single, double and three RBI for Waterford, which finished with 17 hits overall.

Sykora knows what made the difference in Game 2.

"I think they thought this was going to be easier than it was,'' said Sykora. "We came out very flat. Before the second game I did kind of yell, which I haven't done. And they responded.''

In the first inning five-run outburst, Brennan ripped a triple and scored on Gretchen's Dusza's ground-out. An error, Erin McBride's RBI single and Marilyn Childs' two run single accounted for a 5-0 lead.

By the end of the second inning, Waterford already had seven hits, three more than the first game. Hancock's double drove in a run in the second and her RBI single increased the lead to 8-3 in the fourth.

Pitcher Olivia Pacheco, who struggled with control in the opener, settled down. But Stafford didn't go quietly.

Stafford cut the gap to 10-8 in the sixth, sending Stafford send nine batters to the plate and scoring four runs. Waterford responded with three runs to up the lead to five.

There was some drama in the seventh, as Pacheco gave up a three-run home run to Sarah Provencher after striking out the first two batters. After a double, Pacheco finally recorded the state-championship clinching out on a groundout.

"It shouldn't have taken two games when we had no losses,'' said Sykora. "We put ourselves in  bad position to make it win or go home.''

g.keefe@theday.com