DIGHTON — A 12-strikeout performance from ace Edy LaTour steered Dighton-Rehoboth to a 3-0 softball victory over conference rival Apponequet.

The match pitted teams that were previously unbeaten in Southeastern Conference play and nearly met in last season’s Division 3 state championship game. Dighton-Rehoboth coach Katie Catarius-Holmes said it was an excellent challenge for her team.

“We’re a really close rivalry,” Catarius-Holmes said. “We were both undefeated in the SEC, they have a phenomenal freshman pitcher and it was great that we were able to take advantage of some things today.”

The game pitted LaTour against Apponequet’s Reese Taylor, who was able to limit the overall damage from the Falcons’ lineup. This was notable since Dighton-Rehoboth is a team that has consistently put up big run totals.

“It’s nice to see us keep our heads up and keep our motivation,” Catarius-Holmes said. “It’s a hard thing to go from mercy wins to these tight wins so to see us keep our heads in defensively, even if our bats didn’t go our way is great to see.”

Both teams went scoreless in the first inning but LaTour broke up this stretch in the second when she drew a four-pitch walk. She advanced to second on a passed ball, then to third on a fielder’s choice. Another passed ball allowed her to touch home and put her team in the lead.

From there, she was ready to let her pitching do the talking.

“My curveball was working really well,” LaTour said. “I was locating really well and was able to get those strikeouts when we needed it.”

She got some run support in the fifth inning when Emma Horrocks and Kylie Smith launched back-to-back home runs.

“It was so great seeing them get those back-to-back home runs,” LaTour said. “It gave me the confidence I needed to come back out to the mound the next inning and pitch like I did.”

The Falcons ran into some stress in the seventh inning when Taylor smashed a double and Abby Burnap drew a walk. However, Catarius-Holmes said the team had practiced this scenario and was ready.

“We end almost every practice with 21 outs whether the girls like to or not,” Catarius-Holmes said. “We do it so that we can finish a full game together. It reminds them that when it’s crunch time, we need to lock in. It was nice to see them not be stressed by that walk or that hit and know they needed just one more out.”

The Falcons (6-1) have several exciting games remaining on the schedule, including a rematch with the Lakers on May 14. For now, the team is content to enjoy the victory.

“This game was a super big win for us,” LaTour said. “They played great, we played great and it was just a fun game.”