Bishop Guertin's Lauren Redfern (7) loses the ball while heavily pressured by the Pinkerton defense, including Parker Knowlton (3) and Hailey Schnider (5) during Thursday's Division I battle at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – In a game Thursday of runs, and yes, hits and errors, Bishop Guertin High School girls lacrosse coach Callie Santos decided it was time to go with the hot hand with the heat turned up.

Abby Lynn, step right up.

The Cardinals sophomore scored the game winner with 1:35 left in the first sudden death overtime period to give BG a huge 10-9 win over the Pinkerton Astros, who are also certainly with Guertin in that group of Division I title contenders despite falling to 11-5.

The game at Stellos Stadium had all the intensity of a championship battle, Guertin (12-2, nine straight wins) fighting back from an 8-4 deficit in the second half to take it’s first lead, 9-8, on the second of Lynn’s three goals with 8:55 remaining. And then Pinkerton tying the score on the second of two goals by Delaney Summers on a free position with 2:48 left. Guertin’s Lauren Redfern (three goals, assist) had free position chance with 14.8 seconds remaining, but missed wide, and to overtime they went.

That’s when Santos decided it was going to be Lynn time after the Cardinals won the all-important draw. She made a move, drew a foul, and got a free possession angle from the right side.

“Originally our plan was to pull it out and get some of the time off the clock and make a smarter play,” Lynn said. “But I just got that feeling I can get it low, she (Pinkerton’s Sara DiClemente, 13 saves) is a lefty goalie. I figured it would go, tried it, and it worked. It was our whole team that won the game.”

“She came in clutch for us today,” Santos said of Lynn. “She was the most consistent in our shooting today. I wanted (her with the ball). She was the hot hand, she was doing such a great job. The goal was to have her with the ball in her stick at the end of the game, and fight for that opportunity. She did an awesome job.”

“Lacrosse is a game of runs,” Pinkerton coach KT Bourque said. “We knew we were going to have ours and they would have theirs. We’ve got to win that draw at the end, get down on offense and get a good shot – and take care of the ball. … We did a good job on the draw today, we didn’t get that one at the end and they came down and scored.”

The game was ultra physical, almost begging for a head gear rule.The Astros were led by senior Hailey Schneider’s five goals and an assist, and she sparked a run that had the Astros up 6-3 in the waning seconds of the first half. But BG’s Mariella Tomasello was fouled by of all people, goaltender DiClemente with two seconds left in the half. That gave Tomasello a free position shot on an empty net and it was 6-4 at the half.

But then the Astros’ Hannah Lisauskas and Summers in the first two minutes of the third quarter to go up 8-4.

But the game and momentum changed, helped by a couple of big saves by BG goalie Maddy Eder-Linell (eight stops) and the Cards began their run of five straight that besides Lynn included all three of Redfern’s tallies by Redfern and one by Lola Dumont (two on the day) on a pretty feed from Redfern.

Guertin’s other goal on the day was from Anna Kouchalakos, while Bella Pinardi scored for PA. The teams had their scoreless stretches; Guertin had one of 14:26 in the first half, then in the final 8:55 of regulation, and the Astros drought in the second half lasted 11:56. That’s how even the two teams seem to be. Guertin had numerous chances to grab a late two goal lead but came up empty, but not when it really counted.

The Bishop Guertin girls celebrate their 10-9 overtime win over fellow Divison I contender Pinkerton Thursday at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

The Bishop Guertin girls celebrate their 10-9 overtime win over fellow Divison I contender Pinkerton Thursday at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

“I sound like a broken record but it’s one play at a time, and game at a time,” Santos said. “That’s the biggest piece of advice I had for the girls as we went into it.”

“It was very intense,” Lynn said. “We were behind in the beginning, fought our way back, it was super fun.”

Play it again? June is just a couple of weeks away, so we’ll find out soon.