BERLIN- Stephen Decatur’s varsity softball team used a
nine-run third inning to break open an otherwise close game against Queen
Anne’s on Monday and finished with a 14-1 win over the Lions.
The Seahawks scored three in the first inning to set the
table for the big win. Decatur scored three runs in the inining, but the real
damage came in the third when 14 batters came to the plate.
After Decatur scored three in the first, Queen Anne’s
mounted a threat in the top of the second. A single up the middle followed by a
double put runners on second and third with one out. A wild pitch allowed a run
to score, which briefly cut the lead to 3-1. The next Queen Anne’s batter hit a
hard grounder to short and the Seahawk shortstop fired to first for the second
out of the inning. The Decatur first baseman then fired home to get the Lions’
runner attempting to score from third and the threat was over.
In the Decatur third, Amanda Parsons led off with a
double, followed by a triple by Emily DiNardo to make it 4-1. The next Seahawk
batter, Haley Socha, grounded to short, but the shortstop looked the runner on
third back before firing late to first base and everybody was safe. A walk
loaded the bases and two runs scored on the next play, an error by the Queen
Anne’s first basemen, making it 7-1.
Decatur’s Maddie Justice then hit a line drive up the
middle, scoring the eighth run and putting runners on first and third. Katie
Colgan then hit a long fly ball to right, which was dropped, allowing another
run to score. Parsons, who started the rally with a lead-off double, then drove
in another run with a single, making it 9-1.
DiNardo hit a hard grounder to short, which was bobbled,
allowing another run to score. Back to back singles by Jessica Iacona and Abby
Schorr allowed to more runs to score, making it 12-1. When the dust settled,
the Seahawks had scored nine runs, aided in part by a few gaffs by the Lions
along with some clutch hitting. Decatur tacked on two more runs in the fourth
and cruised to the 14-1 win.