The Marlington Dukes will face off against the Elyria Catholic Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Marlington is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Cloverleaf a 10-0 shutout. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Dukes.
Justine Doringo was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Makenna Metz and Chelsea Miller did most of the damage at the plate: Metz went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one triple, while Miller went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Marlington hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Elyria Catholic made easy work of McKinley on Tuesday and carried off a 21-0 win.
Like Marlington, Elyria Catholic also got a great game from a two-way player: Kailey Tomasch. She tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Tomasch was even better at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Megan Stang looked comfortable as she pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits.
Back at the plate, Elyria Catholic got a massive performance out of Nadia Pagan, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and two runs. Jessica Conner was another key player, going 4-for-5 with four runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Marlington's victory bumped their record up to 18-6. As for Elyria Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 23-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Marlington has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Elyria Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
