TURNER — Leavitt softball coach Kevin Leonard paused for moment when he was asked which one of his players stood out in the Hornets’ 4-2 softball victory over Spruce Mountain on Friday.

He eventually came up a response: The Hornets’ win as a collaborative effort.

Leavitt used heads-up base running, strong defense and pitching and some timely hitting to hold off a stubborn Phoenix team, which made it a touch-and-go for the Hornets in the top of the seventh.

“The last five games, we have been playing the way I thought we would play all season,” Leonard said. “Fortunately, we are coming around at just the right time. We are playing really good defense. The pitching is  strong. The hitting is great. If we can hold it together, we are going to be in good shape going into the playoffs.

“(Abby) Robertson pitched well when she had to. Defense again was tight. That’s the way we have been the last five or six games. It is a total team effort.”

The Hornets (9-6) were holding a 4-1 lead in the top of the seventh before the Phoenix (6-11) started creeping back.

Hailey Turcotte got on with a walk and moved to third base on a couple of infield outs. Alex Bessey came to the plate and beat out a bunt to score Turcotte. But the Hornets closed out the game with another infield out.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Hornets gave themselves breathing room when they squeezed out two runs. Delanie Strout got on with an infield sacrifice, but was substituted with pinch runner Emily Swann, who moved all the way to third on a pair of walks and came home with Leavitt’s third run on a passed ball. The Hornets built a three-run lead when Kassie Murch reached base with an error and moved to second on a passed ball. Ashley Kelley pinched hit for Alana Hartford and drove pinch hitter Hannah Chouinard to make it 4-1.

Strout scored on an RBI single by Angela Daigle to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Robertson, the winning pitcher, tripled in the fourth and came home on a passed ball.

Robertson maintained her poised in the dicey seventh inning to come away with the win in the circle. She struck out six batters and gave up just two hits and kept Spruce Mountain out of the playoffs.

“I was getting a little nervous for second (in the seventh inning),” Robertson said. “But I knew I was confident in us. I wanted to beat them. They are our rivals.”

The Phoenix tried to hold their ground, but the Hornets used a mixed bag to bring home the win.

Spruce Mountain coach Clint Brooks describes the Phoenix as a nickel-and-dime team when it comes to victories, but nevertheless, he was proud of Spruce Mountain for not rolling over despite its adversity.