HS Softball: Marian rolls past Weatherly

Marian Emily Upanavage pictured at Schuylkill League Softball Media Day (Staff Photo).

HOMETOWN — The signs were good early on for Weatherly’s upstart softball team.

It forged a first-inning, two-run rally, sending a message across the bow to host Marian.

But by the time the second inning rolled around, things got bleak for the Wreckers, and the way their coach Will Bartel viewed things from the bench, it was a quick dip into quicksand.

Marian’s bats came to life around sophomore DeAnna Pugh, as she drove in five runs, tripled, doubled and singled to send an explosive charge for the Fillies en route to a 13-3, five-inning victory.

It was the first Schuylkill League win for Marian to even its mark at 1-1, while the Wreckers dropped to 1-1 in Division II play.

“We started a bit slow,” coach Lindsey Reinoehl said of her Fillies’ hitting. “It was a bit disappointing because of the way we played at Williams Valley (a loss) but we really hit the ball. Then again, Weatherly did a nice job early on, before we got our offense rolling.”

Weatherly took a 2-0 lead in its first at-bats, taking advantage of an error and a walk to Oliva Marasco before Abby Teodorescu belted a two-run single.

It took some time before winning Marian pitcher Emily Upanavage got into a groove, avoiding further damage by getting a flyout and a groundout. Upanavage allowed just that one hit in the Wreckers’ first-inning rally. The right-handed sophomore mowed down the Wreckers from there, striking out 10  and issuing three walks.

The Fillies cut into the lead with a solo run in their first at-bats. Gracie Sendatch reached base on an error to open the home first, but losing pitcher Rebecca Caldwell looked like she was going to wiggle free of any damage, getting back to back groundouts to shortstop. But a Texas League single off the bat of Danica Karlick and a subsequent error allowed the first Marian run to cross the plate.

Things really stared to click for Marian over the next three innings. It sent 12 batters to the plate during a seven-run, second-inning uprising, which found Katie Barron drawing a walk, Upanavage helping her cause with a single, Sandatch was safe on a fielder’s choice grounder before Pugh swatted gapper to right-center clearing the bases as she tripled. Malina Letcher and Karlick were issued walks, an error and two-run hit from Katie Barron made it 7-2. Zoe Katona picked up an RBI flyout as Marian led 8-2 after two innings.

Marian rallied in the third for a pair of runs, when Sendatch singled to open the inning, Pugh walked and Letcher picked up an RBI on a groundout. Karlick slapped a single to center allowing Push to score. Leading 10-2, Marian sent three more runs across the dish in the home fourth as Pugh singled home two runs, her fourth and fifth of the afternoon driving in Delaney Erickson who had singled and Upanavage who singled for the second time in the game.

“When things go (south) it just like stepping in quicksand, you just keeping sinking further and further,” Bartel explained.

Weatherly didn’t go quietly, rallying in its last-chance at-bat before the 10-run rule kicked in, with an unearned run. Upanavage would not bend, getting the final out on a grounder to second, ending the contest.

“It was a nice win for us, that’s for sure,” Reinoehl said. “We need to do a lot better, especially early in games like this.”

Weatherly (2-2, 1-1) 200 01 — 3  1  5

Marian (2-2, 1-1)       172 3x — 13 9 2

Caldwell and Teodorescu; Upanavage and Treskolasky. W — Upanavage (2-1). L — Caldwell (2-2).