Old Lyme — Emma Bayor, one of the cogs of last year’s Old Lyme High School run to the Class S softball state tournament semifinals, unloaded a two-run home run in the third inning Monday, opening day.

Before too long, as she crossed home plate into a celebratory mass of Wildcats, Bayor had a blue cowboy hat placed on her head by a teammate.

“I mean, we have really good energy in the dugout,” junior center fielder Ava Roth said, listing what makes this Old Lyme team special. “We came around today. We started hitting and hitting and that’s what we need because we have Emma on the mound. We feel good.

“We’re very good individually, but we come together really well.”

Old Lyme opened the season with a 5-4 victory over Shoreline Conference nemesis Coginchaug, ending the game with catcher Grace Phaneuf throwing out her second runner of the day.

Bayor, a junior who has already committed to play for Division I Marist, struck out 11, walked none and allowed six hits, pitching out of a jam in the sixth inning when Coginchaug carved the lead to 5-4 and had runners on second and third with nobody out.

Old Lyme coach Tim Gavin admitted that during the offseason he thought often of the potential of this team, even though the Wildcats had a few holes to fill following the graduation of last year’s seniors.

“I always think about it,” Gavin said. “Once you get there, you feel like you should always get there and we have the talent. We’ve got a really good pitcher. We’ve got a really good (catcher). We’ve got solid defense. We’re young in some spots but it’s a nice group.”

Old Lyme reached the Shoreline Conference tournament finals a year ago, unable to overcome seven-time champion North Branford.

The Wildcats then won their opening game of the Class S tournament 26-0 over University before getting a game-winning double from Roth in a 4-3 win over Coginchaug in the second round and a nine-inning pitching gem from Bayor in a 2-1 quarterfinal triumph over Lyman Memorial in the rain.

Old Lyme fell to eventual state champion Cromwell in the semifinals, 3-1. The Wildcats finished 20-7.

In Monday’s opener, Old Lyme scored three times in the third. With two outs, leadoff hitter Anna Eichholz singled and took second on an obstruction call. Roth, who finished 3-for-4 with a double, singled home Eichholz and then scored on Bayor’s delivery over the right-center field fence.

Coginchaug tied it in the top of the fourth on a two-run triple to the right-field corner by Allison Strang and a double by Natalie Ness.

Roth, a Class S all-state pick last year, doubled to the center field fence with one out in the fifth and Coginchaug elected to intentionally walk Bayor. Jamie Bucior was hit by a pitch to load the bases and No. 5 hitter Jenna Schauder laced a two-run single to center to make it 5-3.

Old Lyme made three errors in the sixth, leading to a Coginchaug run on an RBI single by Jackie Kelly. But with two on and no outs, Bayor got a popup to Phaneuf behind the plate, a comebacker to the mound on which Bayor caught Kelly in a rundown off third base and a strikeout.

In the seventh, Coginchaug’s Paige Konopka singled with two outs and stole second but was thrown out at third as she came off the bag while sliding in on another stolen base attempt.

“A win over Coginchaug, I’ll take that,” Gavin said. “The Shoreline’s tough. (Haddam-Killingworth) is very good. Cromwell’s very good. North Branford.”

Gavin and Roth both credited the leadership of Old Lyme seniors Buccior, who moved from right field to shortstop this year out of necessity, Schauder and Maddie Krol.

“It’s fun to come to practice, it’s fun to be at games,” Gavin said. “It’s a really good group.”

v.fulkerson@theday.com