Source: Hometown Life

Author: Dan O'Meara

Mercy High School clinched the Catholic League Central Division softball championship and earned a first-round bye in the tournament Wednesday.

The Marlins finished 12-0 in the division by winning a doubleheader from host and defending league champion Warren Regina, 11-4 and 6-4 in eight innings.

In the second game, Mercy loaded the bases in the top of the eighth with consecutive singles by Anna Dixon, Sophia VanAcker and Abby Krzywiecki.

Cari Padula followed with a double that brought Dixon and VanAcker to the plate for a 6-4 lead. Regina went down in order in the bottom of the eighth.

Abby Krzywiecki scattered nine hits over eight innings, struck out eight and walked two.

She was 4-for-4 at the plate with a solo homer and RBI single. Mary Reeber was 3-for-4 and VanAcker, who scored two runs, was 3-for-5.

Megan Satawa and Dixon drove in one run apiece with a double and a sacrifice fly, respectively.

Regina’s Melina Livingston was 3-for-3 with a two-run single that tied the score at 4-4 in the sixth inning.

Nicole Roeske and Leah Munson were 2-for-3. Roeske was the pitcher and allowed 16 hits.

Mercy put the first game out of reach early with a nine-run third inning. The big hit was a three-run homer by Krzywiecki, who also had an RBI single in the seventh.

Dixon and Krzywiecki were 3-for-5, Shannon Gibbons 3-for-4 and VanAcker 3-for-3 as the Marlins amassed 14 hits.

Dixon had a pair of RBI singles. Gibbons and Mary Reeber hit two-run singles in the big third inning.

Nicole Belans also drove in a run with a single. VanAcker, Gibbons, Dixon and Krzywiecki scored two runs apiece.

Andrea Elmore was the winning pitcher. She struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter, although she hit one.

Regina had seven hits. Jessica Munson and Kristi Carlson, who hit a three-run homer, were 2-for-4.

Roeske pitched the first game, too. She walked two batters in each game and had a total of nine strikeouts.

Mercy (22-1) will play host to the Allen Park Cabrini-Livonia Ladywood winner in a Catholic League tournament semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The championship game will be played at 6 p.m. Monday, May 23, at the University of Detroit Mercy.