Softball Recap: Gianna Bayard can't quite lead Holy Spirit over Ocean City

By Team Reports May 1, 2024, 12:20am

Softball Recap: Holy Spirit Spartans vs. Ocean City Raiders

Holy Spirit fell victim to Ocean City and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They lost 6-0 to the Ocean City Raiders. Holy Spirit has struggled against Ocean City recently, as their match on Tuesday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.

Mia Merlino spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and two unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances.

At the plate, Holy Spirit saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gianna Bayard, who went 1-for-3 with a stolen base.

On Ocean City's side, Brooke Douglas was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Douglas was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, and a triple.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Taylor Vaugh, who scored two runs while going 4-for-5.

Holy Spirit's defeat dropped their record down to 7-9. As for Ocean City, their victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-3.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Holy Spirit will square off against Wildwood Catholic at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. As for Ocean City, they will head out on the road to face off against Our Lady of Mercy Academy at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Our Lady of Mercy Academy: 2.1, Ocean City: 3.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps