On Wednesday, Fairfield Warde's invisible, unsung, softball hero showed up again, this time for the town championship game against Fairfield Ludlowe.

The hero? Flawless defense, sparked by multiple play-of-the-day efforts. That defense held the Falcons (9-7) scoreless as the Mustang offense struggled with Ludlowe pitcher Becky Foster's seven-inning no-hitter.

Then in the top of the eighth inning, the Warde (12-4) bats came alive, sandwiching four hits around a perfect sacrifice bunt for a 3-0 win.

"Oh, my God, it's amazing," said Warde co-captain Casey Duffy. "We're reigning city champions from last year. I knew they were going to be a better team this year, but we came out, we did it, we got it accomplished. I'm very proud."

Lisa Dean's single, the first hit Foster gave up, got the rally rolling.

"I've been having a little bit of a batting slump lately and I thought I'd try a different bat," said Dean. "Their outfielders were playing way, really far back and I just kind of let it drop in there."

Running for Dean, Katie Siconolfi dashed to second as Nikki Schettino beat out a bunt. Both girls advanced on Bianca Passaniti's perfect sacrifice bunt, bringing Michele Saloomey to the plate.

Saloomey, who also had been

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in a hitting slump, had a plan.

"[Foster's] first pitches looked like they were all strikes, so I was going to swing at the first pitch," said Saloomey. "I was waiting for that first pitch."

Saloomey blasted the first pitch to right center field, scoring Siconolfi and Schettino. Stacey Dileo's single down the third base line sent Saloomey home from second for the third Mustang run.

At any point earlier in the game, a three-run inning would have seemed unlikely. The resilient Ludlowe defense had backed Foster's two-strikeout performance to near-perfection.

"Our defense really shined today," said Ludlowe head coach Debbie Delahunt. "They played the best defense I've seen them play all season. Everything just came together today, everything just clicked."

For seven innings, only two Warde batters had reached base. Mustang Leah Temes extended a fifth-inning walk by stealing second, but the next three batters flied out. Saloomey got to second on a sixth-inning error, but Ludlowe shortstop Jesslyn Lammerts smoothly fielded Dileo's grounder for a force at first and right fielder Kirsten Guerrero pulled down Sue Ercolano's fly to retire the side.

In the seventh, Falcon first baseman Rachel Ehrlich charged Temes' high-bouncing ground ball. She looked for the tag, but Temes was past. She looked at first and Elise Perazzini was covering for the quick toss and a perfectly executed force out.

The Mustang defense matched the Falcons. Warde pitcher Gina Treglia (eight strikeouts, no walks, three hits) summed it up.

"My defense was amazing," Treglia said. "Amazing.

"I know that no matter what happens, they'll get there and they will make the play."

When Foster hit a one-out double in the fourth inning, Treglia didn't need any help, retiring the side with her last two strikeouts.

But in the final innings, the help came through. Falcon Lizzy Knuff hit a one-out single in the fifth. Warde's surehanded Sue Ercolano at third let Knuff advance as she threw the next batter out at first, and Dileo left Knuff stranded at second with a routine snag and toss to Passaniti at first.

In the sixth inning, Temes made the outfield play of the day, an off-balance, sprinting catch that robbed Foster of her second hit. Then Dileo earned all-game honors in the seventh inning when she made a short-hop, diving stop of Kirsten Guerrero's low line drive.

"I didn't know if I caught it or not, so I knew I had to throw it right away," said Dileo. "I wasn't sure, so I was hoping that I would get her at first."

Guerrero's foot reached the base just after Passaniti, stretching for the throw at first, closed her mitt on the ball.

Mustang head coach Gary Quiricone summarized his team's win.

"It's the defense," said the veteran coach. "Again, we didn't hit the ball well in the first half of the game. In the last couple of games, we're really setting the drama for the final innings there.

"My hat's off to Ludlowe. They did a great job. Coach Delahunt's doing a fantastic job with a young team and they played us tough."