Bishop Guertin captains Giavanna Bellino (left), Michalea Bowen and Avery Gallagher pose with the Divisiion I runner-up plaque along with coach Dakota Bilodeau. (Photo by Dan Doyon)

PLYMOUTH – When former Bishop Guertin High School softball standout Dakota Bilodeau took over the program this season her goal was to build the Cardinals back into a contention to compete for state titles the way she did as a player when Bishop Guertin won the Division I championship in 2017.

After surviving an up-and-down regular season to grab the 11th seed in this year’s Division I tournament, her Cardinals responded with a Cinderella run towards Saturday’s championship game against top-seeded Londonderry.

The Lancers proved to be too powerful for Bilodeau and her group to get a title in year one.

Londonderry scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and tacked on seven in the fourth towards a 12-0 victory at Plymouth State University’s DM Field on Saturday night. Ginny Flaherty’s RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning ended the game due to the 12-run mercy rule.

“I’m so proud of them. Coming in as an 11th seed we knew we were going to have to play some hard people and they met the challenge with excitement every single time,” Bilodeau said. “They played their butts off for two weeks in this playoff run. We wanted to play our best softball at the very end and we did. That’s what counts.”

Bishop Guertin (13-9) opened the postseason with a 9-6 road win against No. 6 Timberlane and followed that with 3-1 quarterfinal win over a No. 14 Portsmouth team that eliminated defending state champion and No. 3 concord. The Cardinals then upended second-seeded Winnacunnet with a 7-2 win in Tuesday’s semifinals.

“Honestly, there was a point during our year that we sat down and looked at each other and said ‘What do we want’,” Bishop Guertin’s Michaela Bowen said. “We all looked at each other and said ‘We want to win’. And we go to the championship as the 11th seed. I don’t know about you, but that’s kind of insane.”

Londonderry (20-2) concluded its first Division I championship season with 13 straight wins, as starting pitcher Elisabeth Kearney limited Bishop Guertin to one hit and struck out seven Cardinals in four innings of work.

“We were ready to play and I felt confident going in,” Londonderry coach Dave Johnson said. “We had a game plan going in and we were going to put pressure on them. We didn’t want them to hang with us, and we executed the game plan to where we are right now.”

The Lancers immediately jumped on Bishop Guertin starting pitcher Jenny Davey and took a 3-0 lead on a pair of errors and an RBI single from Vivien Belanger.

Bowen took over on the mound and gave up a run in the second inning, before the avalanche of a bottom of the fourth inning buried the Cardinals.

Londonderry scored seven runs on four hits, highlighted by an RBI single by Olivia Cutuli and a two-run single by Addison Browning (4-for-4) to leave Londonderry with an 11-0 lead.

“(Londonderry) is awesome and they have a really great program and they have some really great leaders on that team,” Bilodeau said. “They got a hold of a few and we made a few mistakes that bit us a little early.”

Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, Bilodeau was thrilled with how the first year went and is excited for what lies ahead with 10 players returning. Brown, Giavanna Bellino and Avery Galagher all graduate.

“BG softball is coming back to get our swag back, like I keep telling them,” Bilodeau said. “I’m really excited to coach this group and getting the culture back on track.”