ATHOL — The Athol High School softball team mashed its way to 12-0 mercy-rule win over cross-town rival Mahar Regional on Wednesday.
The Red Raiders (3-3, 1-3 Franklin) totaled 16 hits in the five-inning game.
After getting three strikeouts in the first inning to set the tone, Athol pitcher Lindsey LeBlanc settled into the game with the help of a ton of run support.
The parade of hits began with LeBlanc’s RBI double in the first inning where Athol scored four runs to take an early lead.
“After that first inning where we scored a lot of runs it’s so much easier,” LeBlanc said. “There’s less pressure on me as a pitcher.”
LeBlanc had three hits with including a double, a triple and three RBI.
“I’ve been in a little bit of a slump,” LeBlanc said. “So it was exciting to get a couple.”
LeBlanc gave up only one hit with eight strikeouts. On 72 total pitches, LeBlanc threw 52 of them for strikes.
Mahar’s Skylar Dodge lined a single in the first inning.
“Athol came out swinging hard,” Mahar coach Jerry Duguay said. “We are in a slump. We are a better hitting team than what we are showing. But it’s early in the season we will try to get out of it the quickest we can.”
After a relatively slow start to the season, Athol’s Haley Bigwood is starting to flex for the Red Raiders with some more pop in her bat.
Bigwood launched a towering two-run homer to left-center in the first inning.
“It was a rough start for all of us,” Bigwood said. “We are slowly working into it which is good.”
It wasn’t just LeBlanc and Bigwood hitting for Athol, it was the entire lineup: Abby Roberts had three hits (two RBI), Jenna St. Cyr had two hits and Rozlyn Nelson (RBI) had two hits.
“We hit the ball well,” Athol coach Sharon Chauvette said. “It was good to start hitting.”
The Senators (4-5, 0-4) had to move some players around due to an injury to starting shortstop Hannah Dupont.
“We are running thin on numbers,” Duguay said. “We may have to put girls in positions that may not be the best for them. But you have to put the puzzle together.”
Lani DeDiego played center field, and Jordyn Berry moved to shortstop.
DeDiego made a nice running catch in the bottom of the fourth inning to take away extra bases from Bigwood.
Pitcher Megan Rich struck out four with two walks but gave up the 16 hits and 12 runs. The Red Raiders had 10 hits in the second inning alone.
“They are a good hitting team and they showed it,” Duguay said. “We have to learn from that. We have to start swinging through.”
At one point, the Red Raiders had five straight hits in the second, with four of them driving in runs.
Haley Wrigley’s RBI groundout scored Sadey Lehtomaki to make the score 4-0 in the first inning.
LeBlanc, Bigwood, Lehtomaki, Nelson, Lexi Forte, St. Cyr, Roberts and Reily Polana all had RBI hits in the bottom of the second inning where Athol put up eight runs.
Nelson had two stolen bases with Lehtomaki adding another for Athol.
Athol 12, Mahar 0
Mahar ………………… 000 00 — 0 1 0
Athol ………………….. 480 0x — 12 16 2
Hits: (M) Dodge. (A) Forte, St. Cyr 2, LeBlanc 3, Nelson 2, Robert 3, Lehtomaki, Polana, Wrigley, Bigwood 2,
2B: (A) Lehtomaki, LeBlanc.
3B: (A) LeBlanc.
HR: (A) Bigwood.
RBI: (A) Polana, LeBlanc 2, Bigwood 3, Lehtomaki, Wrigley, Nelson, Forte, Roberts 2.
WP: LeBlanc (5ip, 9k, 1bb).
LP: Rich (4ip, 4k, 2bb).
