CENTRAL NEW YORK – With veteran talent and plenty of hitting skill, the Marcellus softball team has spent the early portion of the 2021 season drubbing opponents.
Such was the case last Monday when the Mustangs handled Cazenovia 22-2. It helped that the Lakers committed nine errors, but Sam Wynne and Alyssa Hopper still produced three RBIs.
Emma MacLachlan and Aubrey Fraher both doubled twice and drove in two runs. Carly Hopper, Shannon Kellar, Bryn Goldworthy and Hannah Durand had one RBI apiece.
Challenging itself against Class AA powerhouse Cicero-North Syracuse a day later, the Mustangs lost, 8-2, only managing four hits off Northstars pitcher Cassidy Ormond, two of them by Wynne.
But Marcellus roared back to form Wednesday by smashing Solvay 18-1, the tone set by a 10-run first inning and a four-run second as the Mustangs finished with 16 hits.
Elaine Grattan had three of those hits and drove in four runs, while Fraher had three hits, four runs scored and two RBIs. Carly Hopper and Katie MacLachlan also drove in a pair of runs.
On Friday, Marcellus blanked Solvay 15-0, setting the tone with a seven-run first inning. Emma MacLachlan doubled twice and singled. Durand and Brook Finarty each got two RBIs.
Playing a twin bill at the Mudville Tournament on Saturday, Marcellus won its division, proving that it could do more than just hit plenty at the plate.
The opener at Mudville had the Mustangs battle past Camden 3-1, breaking a 1-1 tie when it scored twice in the top of the sixth to support Fraher’s complete-game pitching effort. Katie MacLachlan scored twice as Durand and Finnarty each drove in runs.
What followed was a 5-1 victory over Waverly where, this time, Marcellus struck early for three runs in the first inning, adding two more in the fourth for an extra cushion.
Finnarty got her turn in the pitcher’s circle and kept Waverly quiet despite allowing seven hits. Meanwhile, Grattan and Katie MacLachlan both singled twice and drove in two runs, with Emma MacLachlan adding an RBI.
