MOUNT VERNON — When she found her team down 2-0 after just half an inning on Wednesday, Mount Vernon assistant softball coach Lynn Apple wasn’t sure what to think. After eight straight batters reached base in the bottom of the inning, she was really left scratching her head.
The Yellow Jackets scored seven first-inning runs in a 13-3 run-rule win over the visiting Dublin Jerome Celtics in Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division action. Mount Vernon pounded out 18 hits, while starting pitcher Brittany Rhea limited the Celtics to just two.
“I wasn’t expecting anything like this,” said Apple, who was filling in for head coach Carisa Frysinger (out due to illness). “I was a little worried when they got two runs in the top of the inning, but we came right back and answered right away. Everybody was hitting the ball hard tonight. We really had a great offensive game.”
The 18 hits tied a season-high for the Jackets, who also belted out 18 hits in a 17-0 win over Independence on Saturday. Much like Saturday, Mount Vernon (9-10, 4-4 OCC) scored early and often.
“This was a good win,” said Rhea. “Our offense really stepped up. We didn’t wait until the fifth or sixth inning to start hitting. We kept our momentum up and kept going.”
Dublin Jerome (8-10, 2-6 OCC) scored two runs in the top off the first after leadoff hitter Elle Smith walked and Kirstie Snyder hit a one-out home run to left field. Rhea settled in from that point on, however, and allowed just one more hit in the game.
“I really felt like my offense and my defense were behind me,” Rhea said. “I was concentrated on pitching more with my legs than with my arms so I could get more power and more speed. It is something I needed to work on. It took me an inning to find it.”
Mackenzie Shaw started the bottom of the first off with a single off Celtic pitcher Kristen Chang. Jess Gall followed with a single and Karina Shackle drove them both in with a double to left-center field. Rhea brought Shackle around with a single up the middle and Kylee Marcum followed with a walk. Bailee Marcum then singled to load the bases. Sarah Freshwater was the last batter Chang faced, and she singled to score Rhea.
Audrey Mowery switched positions with Chang, coming in from center field, but she wasn’t much better. Victoria Queen greeted Mowery with a two-run single to center. Sarah Palm grounded into a fielder’s choice that left Freshwater out at third, but a wild pitch moved both runners up a base. Queen scored the seventh run after Shaw grounded into a fielder’s choice for the second out. Gall popped out to end the inning.
“We’ve been hitting pretty well, just not getting people around like we need to,” said Apple. “We’ve been making decent contact here lately. Today, we just came out and made real solid contact to both pitchers. We came out strong and really performed well.”
Dublin Jerome didn’t go away, however. A leadoff single became another run after a Mount Vernon error and a passed ball. Rhea finished off the Celtics, however, by striking out the next three batters.
That was the last time Dublin Jerome would threaten the Jackets. Rhea and her team’s defense sat the Celtics down in order in the remaining four innings.
Mount Vernon, however, continued to pound Mowery. The Jackets added two runs in the bottom of the second and one each in the fourth and fifth to take an 11-3 lead.
The Jackets finished the game off in the bottom of the sixth. Queen led off with a single and Palm then walked. Shaw drove in Queen with an RBI single. Hannah Peterson, batting in place of Gall, fought off three pitches from Mowrey before singling to left to drive in Palm with the winning run.
“If we keep our momentum up and keep our heads in the game, we are an amazing team,” said Rhea.
Shaw went 4-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Shackle and Bailee Marcum each went 3-for-4 with two doubles each. Shackle scored three times, as did Queen, who was 2-for-4.
In addition to the two-hitter, Rhea walked one and struck out 10.
“We had several innings that were three up, three down. She had a really good day on the mound,” Apple said of Rhea. “After the first inning, she started hitting her spots better and got warmed up. She struck out 10 so that’s a good game.”
With Wednesday’s victory, Mount Vernon has won four of its last six games, including two big conference wins. The Jackets will take a short break from conference play beginning today with a road trip to Westerville North.
“We’ve been playing really well, but losing because we haven’t been able to execute,” said Apple. “Finally everything came together. We had a good defensive game, a great offensive game and our pitching was strong. We had it all. Hopefully we can carry that through. We’ve got a tough game at Westerville North, and then Saturday, we are at Thomas Worthington along with Claymont.”