AUBURN — As each inning sped by without a score Wednesday, players knew somebody would have to make something happen.

After five quick, scoreless innings, Erskine’s Meryl Bond wanted to do something — anything.

“The game went by really quick the first five innings or so,” the senior catcher said. “The sixth inning came and we knew we had to step it up and get some hits and keep their hits down.”

Bond said she wasn’t really looking for the big belt, but her leadoff triple proved just that and changed the entire complexion of the game, sparking the Eagles to seven runs in the inning and a 7-0 opening-day victory over Edward Little.

“We have the team to beat anyone regardless of how young we are,” EL coach Elaine Derosby said. “We’re trying to be a softball team and not just a talent team. We’re going to take our lumps, but I really think in the end, we’re going to be able to outplay some teams strategy-wise because we’re equal in talent. Some days it will go our way and some days it won’t.”

Erskine and EL were pretty even through the first five innings. Eagles pitcher Alyssa Gartley struck out six and scattered five hits. Erskine got some solid defensive plays from Taylor Boucher at short.

“Alyssa did a great job,” Bond said. “She kept the ball low. Most umpires call it low rather than high. Teams can’t really get onto the low ball. So we just kept it low. That seemed to work out pretty well.”

Emily Schario gave up five hits before being replaced by Kory Norcross in the sixth. EL got some fine defense from Danielle Rock at third and Kennedy Hubbard behind the plate.

“Emily did a really good job,” said Derosby. “We haven’t gone seven innings with our pitchers. So maybe I should have changed much earlier. That’s something we’re still trying to figure out because none of our pitchers have experience.”

Erskine (1-0) had only put three runners on through the first five innings. They came on a walk, a hit batter and an infield hit. Then Bond led off the sixth. She drilled an offering to deep left for a triple.

“I saw it and it was coming right down the middle,” said Bond. “So I swung. I wasn’t really aiming for a big hit. I was just looking for a hit because we needed to get things started for that inning.”

That shook EL and forced the defense to play in. A Hannah Peabody infield hit that was stopped by a diving Ashlee Arnold at short plated Bond for the first run. Then Mikhaela Helm followed with a two-run single up the middle. Helm later scored on an error. Avery Bond then singled in a run to make it 5-0. Two more runs came in when Meryl Bond hit another fly to left that was dropped.

“So much energy went through our team after I got that triple,” said Bond. “It just started things off.”

EL (0-1) produced the better chances early in the game. Arnold reached on a fielder’s choice in the second and advanced but got picked off with one out. Schario reached on an error in the third but was stranded at second. Melissa Paione singled in the fourth with one out but couldn’t advance. EL loaded the bases in the fifth on two hit batters and an infield hit by Kelsey Butcher. Gartley got the final out on a Hubbard grounder to Boucher at short.

“Today, we didn’t put the ball in play like we did in the preseason,” said Derosby. “Right now, we have a solid five in our lineup and the others are still trying to prove themselves.”

After Erskine’s seven runs in the sixth, EL got a double from Norcross and a single from Arnold, but Erskine escaped unscathed. Boucher made a nice play at short on a Danica Nadeau grounder to end the inning.

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