Windsor — Windsor High baseball coach Jamie Richardson has long been a proponent of putting the ball in play. One of his favorite sayings: “There’s no need for a defense with a strikeout, but if you put the ball in play, things can happen.”

Richardson’s pupils have apparently learned their baseball lesson well. The Yellowjackets scored five times in the third inning on just one hit during a 7-3 win over previously undefeated Stevens on Monday at MacLeay-Royce Field.

Stevens (5-1) added to its woes by committing three errors in the Jacks’ big frame. A walk, a wild pitch and the one hit — a two-run Robert Slocum double — combined to put the hosts ahead to stay.

Stevens has had some defensive problems this year but has overcome them by smashing the ball, scoring 64 runs in the five-game win streak that came to an end at the Jacks’ doing.

“We’re just not going to get 12 to 14 hits every game,” said Stevens coach Paul Silva.

Stevens can take some solace in the fact that Windsor is the defending Vermont Division III champion and is clicking along at a 6-2 mark this spring.

Richardson also champions hitting down on the ball to create the potential for defensive errors. It proved wise because the Jacks weren’t making a lot of solid contact against Stevens sophomore pitcher Derrick Stanhope, who allowed just one hit through six innings before the Jacks got to him for two runs on two hits in the seventh.

“Derrick pitched well,” said Silva, who had to get as many innings as he could from Stanhope because the Cardinals have four games this week.

Adam Stapleton was the winning Windsor hurler. Stapleton gave up two hits and a run in the first inning, but pitched hitless and scoreless ball through the fifth. Seth Balch relieved over the final two innings to clinch the victory.

Windsor also did a few other things well, too. They executed two successful sacrifice bunts, got solid play from its infielders and the pitchers allowed just one walk. Six of the Windsor runs were unearned.

Stevens did show some offense in the seventh inning as Nick O’Brien and Brendan Bean has RBI singles.

The Cardinals had a chance for a big first inning, loading the bases with two outs on singles by Koby Hussey and O’Brien along with a walk to Henri Bourque. Bean was next: He worked the count to three balls and two strikes and fouled off three more offers before flying out to deep center.

Stevens’ busy week continues with Hillsboro-Deering at Barnes Park on Wednesday, followed by games with Fall Mountain on Friday and Mascoma on Saturday. Windsor can rest a little bit, but only a little — Division I Hartford pays a call to MacLeay-Royce on Thursday.

Correction

Stevens High pitcher Derrick Stanhope allowed one hit through the first six innings of an eventual 7-3 high school baseball loss to Windsor on Monday. Stanhope was misidentified in an earlier version of this story.