Fort Frye's Lexi Handshumacher is tagged out at the plate by Frontier catcher Braylee Buck Monday night at Fort Frye High School. The Cadets won the game 7-3. (Photo by Mike Morrison)

BEVERLY – Fort Frye broke open a scoreless game with five runs in the third inning and Elle Casto scattered seven base hits to pick up a complete game win as the Cadets downed the Frontier Cougars 7-3 Monday night at Fort Frye High School.

Casto and Frontier starting pitcher Mikayla Bennett were locked in quite a pitchers duel in the early going before the Cadets finally broke through by sending nine batters to the plate in the third to provide Casto with what would turn out to be all of the support she would need.

“We were missing a couple of seniors and I thought our freshmen really stepped up for us tonight,” said Cadet head coach Brian Duskey. “I thought we played well and Elle Casto pitched very well like she always does.”

Fort Frye had not collected a single base hit heading to the pivotal third before left fielder Jayci Spurr got things going with a single.

Right fielder Abby Bishman reached on a Frontier fielding error before shortstop and lead-off batter Ella Dowler laid down a perfect bunt that she beat out to load the bases with nobody out.

Fort Frye's Elle Casto delivers a pitch Monday evening at For Frye High School.  Casto picked up a complete game win as the Cadets downed Frontier 7-3. (Photo by Mike Morrison)

Second baseman Lexi Handschumacher plated a run and reached base as well on a fielder’s choice before third baseman Jaden Cox delivered a clutch two-run single to left field to make it a 3-0 game.

Freshman first baseman Madeline Morganstern followed with an RBI double and Casto grounded out to third base to plate another run and give herself a five-run cushion heading into the middle innings.

Casto retired the Cougars in order in the fourth but allowed them to get on the board with a single run in the top of the fifth.

Pinch hitter Taylor Tidd got the inning started by delivering a base hit and eventually came into score on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Addison Edgar.

Frontier added another run in the top of the sixth as center fielder Kate Congleton singled and stole second, moved to third on a sac bunt by senior shortstop Keely Barrows before scoring on an RBI single by third baseman Evie Armstrong.

Frontier assistant coach Daniel Hedrick's visits with catcher Braylee Buck in between innings Monday night at Fort Frye High School. The Cadets came away with a 7-3 win. (Photo by Mike Morrison)

Cougar second-year head coach Samantha Livingston loves the fight her team has in them but would like to see them come out earlier in games with a bit higher energy level.

“We battled and we always seem to turn it on at the end of the game,” said Livingston. “We need to figure how to bring that fire and energy from the beginning and we will be alright.”

With the Cougars right back within striking distance the Cadet offense went right back to work and picked up a pair of key insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Casto singled to open the inning and after a base on balls to Leah Campbell, Spurr collected her third base hit of the game to plate another run.

Right fielder Abby Bishman capped the scoring by singling in another run to push the lead back to five.

The Cougars got their lead-off hitter on in the top of the seventh when catcher Braylee Buck singled but the Cadet defense turned a beautiful 6-4-3 double play to quickly quiet the noise.

“That was a great play by Ella (Dowler) and Lexi (Handshumacher) there in the last inning,” said Duskey. “Believe it or not we spend a lot of time practicing that and it paid off today.”

Left fielder Kenzie Livingston kept things alive with a base hit and came all the way around to score on a base hit by Addison Edgar coupled with a Cadet fielding error.

Casto recovered and got Bennett to fly out to deep center field to end the game and provide her team with their third win in four tries.

Other than Spurr with the three hits no other Cadet hitter had more than one hit in the game as seven different FF hitters collected one base hit.

Seven different Cougar batters collected a base hit in the game with Bennett collecting the only extra base hit with a double in the third inning.

“Our girls have the fight and they have the heart,”said Livingston. “We just need to figure out how to piece it together from the beginning to the end.”

The Cougars (1-4) will look to right the ship on Friday when they welcome in River, while the Cadets are right back in action Tuesday at Caldwell.