At just the right time, the Marcellus softball team is finding its best form, as evidenced by a 5-0 week that included big wins over two local rivals.
In a neighborhood showdown last Wednesday afternoon, Marcellus got the best of Bishop Ludden, gaining a 4-0 shutout over the Gaelic Knights.
For four innings, pitching aces Molly MacLachlan (Marcellus) and Cazzandra Griglock (Ludden) kept it 0-0, but the Mustangs got to Griglock for three runs in the top of the fifth and added a run in the seventh.
Meghan Witkowski hit a home run, scored twice and earned two RBIs, while MacLachlan helped her own cause with a double and RBI, earning a complete-game shutout that included nine strikeouts and just four hits allowed, two of them by the Gaelic Knights’ Ally Weigand.
And on Thursday, as Ludden fell to Solvay 7-0, Marcellus bested another big local rival, toppling state Class B no. 7-ranked Westhill 6-2.
A pair of first-inning runs, plus three runs in the fourth, was all MacLachlan needed as she held the potent Warriors lineup to just five hits, striking out seven. Manahan, with a double and two RBIs, led the attack, while MacLachlan, Witkowski and Jennie Delia drove in one run apiece.
Marcellus tore through Hannibal 24-0 last Monday in the first game of a doubleheader where the Mustangs notched nine runs in the second and fourth innings.
MacLachlan, free from pitching duties, earned three RBIs, as did Witkowski. Finn went three-for-three at the plate, joining Delia and Rylie Spicer with two RBIs apiece. Clare Manahan, Emily Martens and Dominique Weeks also drove in runs.
Then, in the second game, Marcellus beat Hannibal by a more modest 9-1 margin, with all of the runs coming in the first two innings. Witkowski and Spicer each managed a pair of RBIs, with MacLachlan and Shannon Donahue also driving in runs.
This impressive week for Marcellus concluded Friday with an 11-0 shutout over Class C contender Onondaga, the Mustangs getting to Tigers pitching ace Lindsay Wachna for runs in five of the seven innings and taking full advantage of nine OCS errors.
Spicer had three RBis, with Witkowski adding a triple and two RBIs. MacLachlan held the Tigers to four hits in her complete-game shutout.
