It was a distant thought when the season started, but the DHS girls’ softball team is one win away from making postseason play.

With a roster sprinkled with eight freshmen and sophomores, former assistant coach Rod Laniewski thought the learning curve for his team would be a lot longer than it has been.

His young squad is well ahead of schedule, as they combined all the ingredients needed to win softball games and turned them into big wins over Silver Lake (3-0) and Whitman-Hanson (2-0), along with a victory over Scituate (17-1).

Great pitching and defense, along with some timely hitting, now has the Lady Dragons at 9-5 with four games left in the regular season.

Laniewski has been preaching that getting runners on base and putting pressure on the opposition’s defense was key to winning the close games. He saw it happen in all the wins.

A pumped-up Lady Dragons team traveled to Silver Lake last Monday looking to avenge an earlier 1-0 loss.

Scoreless after four innings in a classic pitcher’s duel, Duxbury broke out for two runs in the top of the fifth inning, sending eight runners to the plate.

Erin Gallagher walked, Grace Kelso singled, and Christina Curley reached on an error to load the bases. Senior pitcher Laura Walter came to the plate and helped her own cause with a two-run single. DHS would add an insurance run in the seventh on hits by Walter, Caroline McSherry and a RBI single by Laura Donovan.

Walter was immense on the mound, striking out 11 Laker batters while giving up just two hits.

The team returned home on Wednesday to destroy Scituate, an opponent that was playing very well.

Duxbury got off to a quick start with two runs in the first inning behind the timely hitting of Kelso, Curley and Walter, and they exploded for six more runs in the second inning on seven hits.

The game was out of hand by the end of the third inning, as the Dragons added six more runs while sending 12 batters to the plate.

Walter shut down the opposition once again, as Scituate could only muster an unearned run.

Kelso and Walter had four hits each on the day, while Gallagher and Curley had three hits. Madi Duddy also contributed with two hits and three RBI.

Whitman-Hanson was the opposition on Friday, and they too had beaten Duxbury earlier in the season.

The 6-2 loss to the Panthers in April was the last time the girls were below .500, and they made sure this time the hosts paid the price.

Duxbury wasted little time in striking first when Curley singled and was driven in by Walter for a 1-0 lead, adding an insurance run in the sixth when Curley reached on an error and later came home on a Donovan hit.

Walter withstood a bases loaded situation with one out in the fifth, retiring the next two batters easily to hold on for the win.

A circus catch by Kelso in center field and great defense in the infield by Duddy and Gallagher were keys to the shutout victory.

After a trip to North Quincy on Monday, the team returns home on Wednesday afternoon for a 3:30 p.m. match with Hingham.