SPRINGFIELD, PA- On a very windy Thursday afternoon, the Cardinal O’Hara girls softball team defeated Little Flower Catholic High School, 6-2.
The game ball went to O’Hara pitcher Mary Pat Brough, who pitched a complete game only giving up two runs and striking out three.
Brough started the day with a shaky first inning letting the first three batters get on, but was solid from that point on with five straight 1-2-3 innings before letting up a leadoff hit in the top of the seventh. Brough managed to consistently throw first pitch strikes, which allowed her to get ahead in counts and dictate at bats.
A modest Brough thought she played very well, but could not thank her teammates enough.
“I had really good back up in the infield and outfield,” said Brough, “Everyone was there for me and I really felt it out on the field.”
Calling her defense, “really good” is putting things lightly as Brough and her fielders put on a clinic defensively. Centerfielder Brianna Hickey had a web gem of a catch in centerfield and the team executed a textbook rundown to get the final out of the game.
But a pitcher cannot win without a little run support and Brough’s offense certainly had her back.
Second baseman Emily Loomis went 3-3 out of the two hole with a triple and two runs scored. Designated hitter Jessica Skarren provided the team’s power going 1-3 with three RBIs batting fifth. It was a very balanced game for the Lions as they flashed both the leather and the wood to earn the victory.
The coaching staff was thrilled with the team’s performance, saying that practice was a key part of the team’s success.
“We’ve had our really hard practices and we’ve had a couple rain outs, so we really couldn’t get games in,” said Cardinal O’Hara assistant coach Bob Adams.
“Today, we had a great rundown to end the game, we had a couple good throw downs. We just had a good, solid defensive game,” said Adams.
The team looked very well prepared, as they only committed two errors on the day; one of which came on a tough play that led to the game ending rundown.
When asked about her strategy going into the game, Brough said, “Just to win, I’m there just to win.”
That’s the talk of an ace fresh off pitching a gem…
Next home league play for the Lions will be against rivals Bonner-Prendergast on Tuesday April 5th.
Little Flower plays St. Hubert's at home Saturday, April 2nd.