GILFORD — The Nor'Easter 18U softball team has the pitching. The defense has been there and every batter in the lineup is making contact.

They just need a little more pop to make noise in today's elimination round of the Nor'Easter Softball Classic.

The Nor'Easters dropped a pair of games Saturday and fell to 1-2 in pool play, losing 3-2 early to Maine's Riptide and 4-0 late to a sharp America's Game All-Star squad, of Connecticut. The shutout loss may have been the most frustrating. The Nor'Easters finished with just four hits against 15-year-old Erin Miller, and all five of the runner's they left on base were in scoring position.

"We have to hit the ball a little harder," Nor'Easter coach Tom Carr said. "We took a lot of defensive swings today."

The Nor'Easters' lone clutch hit came in their early game against the Riptide, when Lindsey Houston ripped a two-run double over the right fielder's head in the fourth inning. The Nor'Easters entered the frame trailing 3-0 and never pulled even after giving up two runs in the first and another in the second. Houston was stranded at second in the fourth and Cora Crafts was left in scoring position in the sixth.

Saturday's games were shortened from nine to six innings because of early-morning delays. The fields had to be tended to because of the heavy rains that fell over the area late Friday night and early Saturday. And the playing surface still wasn't prefect at Gilford High School's varsity field. AG's Sammy Ryan-Martz made a splashing catch in right field on Danielle Dean's two-out drive in the fourth inning of Saturday's late game. The water sprayed from her cleats as she tracked down a catch that stranded Caitlin Clary at third base.

Miller walked three without a strikeout in her complete game victory in that contest. She induced 13 ground outs and fed off an error-free defense. Her catcher, Nina Wojo, twice ended Nor'Easter innings by catching a stealing base runner.

The America's Game All Stars are a 16U club who opted to play up in the Nor'Easter Classic after hearing the 18U's had a spot open. They'll be a top seed today in the elimination round after closing pool play with a 3-0 mark. They featured three different starting pitchers Friday and Saturday and have allowed just two runs as a team.

"It's one of the better defensive team's you'll see," America's Game coach Don Connors said of his club. "They can catch and throw with the best of them."

America's Game scored three runs in the first inning without a hit against Nor'Easter starter Lindsey Carr. AG used three walks, a hit batter and three run-scoring balls to the backstop to jump out early.

"Both games were actually very similar," coach Carr said. "We gave up runs right off the bat."

AG went up 4-0 in the top of the fourth on Alyssa Hancock's RBI single to left that scored Miller from third.

Carr surrendered six hits in a complete-game defeat. She walked four with three strikeouts and allowed just a run over five innings after the rocky first.

The Nor'Easters had their chances to get Carr some support. In the sixth, Jenna Lembo laced a single to left and Megan Bird punched in a pinch-hit single to put a pair on with one out. Carr sacrificed both runners into scoring position, but Miller won a long battle with Amanda Barton to escape the jam unscathed, a grounder to shortstop that Kaylee Deer scooped and fired across to get Barton by a step.

In the seventh, Caitlyn Zelonis walked and reached second with one out. She never got to third. Miller got Clary to ground out to short, and the game ended when Dean hit a rocket to left that a charging Julie Maloney pinned against her body with her glove and bare hand.

"At the end of this game, they started taking some nice swings," coach Carr said of his group. "The pitch selection was a little better and they started attacking the ball. We were hitting into much harder outs towards the end of this game. That's what I hope carries into (today)."

Carr and Clary also singled in the late game for the Nor'Easters. Zelonis drew a pair of walks.

The Nor'Easters are where they want to be pitching-wise entering the single-elimination playoffs. Amanda Barton, who earned the team's lone win Saturday night against the Vermont Bandits, will get the ball in the first game with Carr and Concord's Caitlin Bill also ready to pitch. Bill started and took the loss on the mound of Saturday's early game with the Riptide.

Final seedings and today's 18U playoff schedule was not available at press time. Visit the Nor'Easter Softball Club's website for complete scheduling information, including the 14U and 16U divisions, at www.eteamz.com/noreastersoftball.