Ledyard — Ledyard High School softball coach Brittany Robinson was discussing the differences between a number of her players the last time they played for the Colonels in 2019 and the 2021 post-COVID-19 season.

"They went from freshmen to driving cars," Robinson said. "Like, 'What's going on?'"

Another thing. The Colonels have learned to do the little things to precision.

Ledyard defeated Fitch 11-2 in an Eastern Connecticut Conference Division I game Saturday morning at the Ellen Mahoney Softball Complex and along the way did a number of little things, big things actually, which had Robinson beaming. Robinson actually rolled her ankle celebrating right fielder Codee Carroll's sixth-inning throw to nail a runner at third base.

Ledyard (7-1, 7-1) also got a diving catch from Carroll; a stop on a ball up the middle from shortstop Samantha Money, who then threw the runner out at first from her knees; an over-the-shoulder catch from second baseman Layla Lasisomphone; and a perfectly executed rundown. Catcher Paige Perkins also threw out a runner trying to steal third.

While the defense battled a tough sun and a wind which occasionally shifted the ball off course, Lasisomphone went 4-for-4 with four laser beams, a double and two RBI. The Colonels got off to a 3-0 lead in the first behind a two-run bloop double from Shailynn Williams and an RBI single by Lasisomphone.

Samantha Fancher had two hits, including a triple, and Williams and Sara Rivers each had two hits, as well.

Rivers was the winning pitcher, allowing seven hits. She struck out none and walked one, with all the outs being made in the field.

"I think we got real excited when Sam (Money) made that diving play up the middle and when Codee had the girl running to third. When someone makes a good play, we want to keep it going," said Lasisomphone, a sophomore. "At the beginning of the game, we had the sun on the whole right side and the wind. We all worked good with it. We all adjusted."

"We have a team Instagram (on social media) and I post all the top college plays," Robinson said. "I can see who watches it and I think all of them watch it. We were working on dives up the middle yesterday. ... That's what it comes down to, little things, or taking advantage when the other team does the little things wrong. ... I'm having the time of my life (coaching this team). It's fun when I know they know what they're doing."

Ledyard was coming off a 7-4 loss Tuesday against first-place Waterford, the second-ranked team in the state, in what was a battle of unbeatens. Money had three hits and two runs scored in that game and Williams doubled and tripled.

Robinson believes Ledyard played well in the loss and took it as motivation to get better.

"They knew that we played well," Robinson said. "It was a good game. They weren't down about it."

The Ledyard players wore special jerseys Saturday with the logo for ALS awareness organization HARK on the front and the words "Strike Out ALS" written on the back in honor of a classmate who lost her father to the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Grace Jenkins and Alyson Cabral each had two hits and Charlotte Cabral had an RBI double for Fitch (5-2, 5-2).

v.fulkerson@theday.com