Lakeland High School softball team grabbed a huge win over Great Bridge High School Thursday.

The Lady Cavs defeated Great Bridge 8-7 at home Thursday evening. It was a big win the team was excited about.

“It is very exhilarating to have this kind of success against a good team,” Lakeland coach Steve Wood said. “To kind of surprise or catch them off guard like that it was great.”

Lakeland put together a 5-1 lead in the first two innings of play. They were in control most of the game before Great Bridge tried to put on a run later in the game but couldn’t fully overcome their early deficit.

Lakeland remained poised. When a pitcher is pitching a no-hitter, no one around them talks about it. Wood took the same approach with his team Thursday. He knew his team knew they were playing well, so instead he encouraged his players to make sure they were sticking to their fundamentals and letting them know to be aggressive.

“A lot of things went our way,” Wood said. “We had good pitching, and we knocked the cover off of the ball. It was just one of those things where we were in our gaps, and they were hitting to us.”

Aryn Kinsey went 2-5 with a triple and three RBIs. Alex Kinsey had a walk-off single in the seventh. Julie Jones added two runs, while Lisa Stuprich went 3-4 with two runs. Sarah Matthews pitched seven innings and got the pitching win.

“This was a huge win for us,” Alex Kinsey said. “Everyone put in the effort and encouraged one another, and I think that’s what kept us in the game. We were all so excited when that last run was scored, and it’s truly a moment we will never forget.”

With spring break here for Suffolk Public Schools, the Lady Cavs hope they can maintain the momentum from this win until they play again.

“We just want to continue our success by realizing our capability to compete with higher-level teams,” Kinsey said. “We just have to keep a positive attitude throughout the rest of the season.”

Lakeland will face rival Nansemond River High School on the road at 5:30 p.m. April 10.