HOMETOWN — As the calendar flips to May, it’s time for softball teams to sharpen their games and crank up the intensity.
The weather gets milder. The games get bigger. And the pressure gets ever greater.
Time is short. Just one week remains in the regular season. Then comes the Schuylkill League playoffs, followed by the District 11 Tournament.
Marian is one of those teams that wants to be part of both postseason parties.
Yet the Fillies were coming off a loss Thursday to Northwest Area in which they didn’t play all that well.
The perfect way to get back in the swing of things is a game against Mahanoy Area, Marian’s fiercest rival.
The Fillies jumped all over the Golden Bears from the start Friday afternoon and won 10-0 in a Schuylkill League Division III game.
“They’re always a big rival game for us, so we want to be mentally ready and physically ready,’’ Marian senior center fielder Alex Stroia said. “So we were getting pumped up all throughout the day and getting our heads in the game to get the win.’’
Playing for the fifth straight day, Marian (11-6, 8-3 D-III) was coming off an 8-3 loss to the Rangers.
Friday was a much different story. Bethany Shaud pitched a two-hitter and the Fillies backed her with a pair of four-run innings.
“It kind of left a sour taste in our mouth and we wanted to respond today and play the way we’re capable of playing,’’ Marian coach Joe DeAngelo said.
Shaud looked especially sharp, striking out 10 and walking none. The senior right-hander hit her spots consistently and fanned three batters looking.
Catcher Nicole Salerno helped Shaud by throwing out two runners trying to steal.
“When she’s on, as she was today, it gives you the edge,’’ DeAngelo said of Shaud.
Marian’s offense was also on. Stroia, the leadoff batter, went 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Mackenzie Joy went 2-for-2 with two runs and three RBIs. She roped a two-run double in the fourth, a ball that hit the fence on the fly.
Salerno and Miranda Antiga added two hits and two RBIs apiece as Marian attacked early and often.
“We’ve been preaching that, and we saw some good results today,’’ DeAngelo said. “Hopefully it will continue.’’
Meanwhile, Mahanoy Area (7-8, 5-4) fell for the fifth straight time to Marian in the past two years, including a loss in last season’s District 11 Class A quarterfinals.
“We really need to find a way to break through this wall (against Marian),’’ Mahanoy Area coach Joe Hullihan said. “We’ve been in this situation a lot, and we can’t seem to break through.’’
So Marian’s seniors — Bryianna Pearson, Shaud and Stroia — got the Fillies pointed in the right direction again. Overall, Marian went 4-1 this week to clinch a spot in districts and move closer to the division crown.
“There’s only three of us,’’ Stroia said, “but we try to do as much leadership as we can, be examples to the underclassmen and show them that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to.’’
With Friday’s win, Marian opened a two-game lead over Mahanoy Area in the division standings. The Fillies also hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their season sweep.
The Bears have five games remaining: home with Pine Grove today, home versus Panther Valley on Monday, at Panther Valley on Tuesday, home with Minersville on Wednesday and home against Weatherly on Thursday. Mahanoy Area needs two more league wins to qualify for districts.
“The division’s always our first goal,’’ DeAngelo said. “We wanted to take care of our closest competitor.’’
Game Summary
MAHANOY AREA (0) — H. Bruce c 2 0 0 0, Walinchus ss 2 0 1 0, Tunstall rf 2 0 1 0, Davidson 3b 2 0 0 0, E. Bruce p 2 0 0 0, Bisco 2b 2 0 0 0, Malacusky cf 2 0 0 0, Rago 1b 1 0 0 0, Byrne 1 0 0 0. Totals 16 0 2 0.
MARIAN (10) — Stroia cf 3 3 3 0, Pearson ss 1 1 0 1, Salerno c 3 2 2 2, Joy 1b 2 2 2 3, Wimmer 3b 2 1 0 0, Shaud p 3 0 0 0, Antiga rf 3 0 2 2, Gimeno 2b 3 0 0 0, Erbe lf 1 1 0 0, Lencovich cr-lf 0 0 0 0. Totals 21 10 9 8.
Mahanoy Area (7-8, 5-4) 000 00 — 0
Marian (11-6, 8-3) 204 4x — 10
E — Mahanoy Area 5, Marian 1. DP — Marian 1. LOB — Mahanoy Area 1, Marian 4. 2B — Joy. SB — Walinchus, Pearson, Antiga. CS — Walinchus, Bisco. S — Pearson. SF — Pearson, Joy.
Mahanoy IP H R ER BB K
E. Bruce L,5-8 4 9 10 4 2 2
Marian IP H R ER BB K
Shaud W,10-6 5 2 0 0 0 10
T — 1:07.