It was a point of emphasis before Thursday night’s softball game.

Be aggressive early in the count.

The Valley Central softball team did just that as they ambushed Washingtonville Wizards’ pitcher, Isabella Dubose, for nine first-inning runs on their way to a 17-2, 6-inning rout over the Wizards on Thursday night at the Maybrook Little League Field.

“We made it a point to tell everyone that we are going up there to thump and put the pedal to the metal,” Valley Central cleanup hitter Alyssa Bonilla said. “We weren’t stopping no matter what.”

That was true from the bottom of the first inning when Emilia Brundage doubled, and Lauren Serrao reached first on a bunt single. Then a sacrifice fly by Brianna Robinson put the Vikings on the board.

“That was the strategy,” Valley Central coach Katie Farrugia said. “We just talked about it in the pregame that we need to be more aggressive at the plate and we’re looking at too many pitches the day before. We’re too good an offensive team to watch strikes. So that was our plan, and we succeeded because everybody was up there swinging the bat.”

Starting with Bonilla, the Vikings’ pounded out eight straight hits until Robinson made the second out of the inning with her second sacrifice fly.

Bonilla doubled home the final run in the big first inning.

Lindsey Serrao also had a big hit – a two-run single earlier in the inning.

Dubose didn’t help the Vikings out with wildness. If she helped the Vikings at all, it was by keeping the softball around the plate.

“She mixed it up a lot, but she was consistent, and my batters were able to take advantage of those strikes,” Farrugia said.

Bonilla finished with five hits and drove in three. She also scored three runs.

“It felt good seeing a pitcher after not playing for a couple of days and I knew my pitch I wanted to swing at,” Bonilla said. “I found it.”

Bella Mayo, meanwhile, was putting up zeroes in the circle for the Vikings. She threw four innings, allowed two hits and struck out two.

“It’s a lot of confidence having Bella up there because we know when the ball is put in play, we all have each other’s backs,” Bonilla said. “But Bella makes it pretty easy on us.”

Talia Wutz threw the final two innings, surrendering a two-run home run to Washingtonville’s Madeline Brennan in the sixth inning.

Overall, everyone on the Vikings’ roster got into the game.

“I’ve been able to do it quite often this year, which is nice,” Farrugia said. “It’s nice to just give them a chance and give them a shot to prove themselves. And they have, time in and time out. I keep on putting them in there, they prove themselves and they start the next game.”