Big fourth-inning paves way for Lady Pios' 6-2 victory

SULPHUR - A four-run outburst in the fourth inning was more than enough run support for Marcella Gossen Friday afternoon in Notre Dame’s Class 2A quarterfinal contest with Doyle at Frasch Park.
The Lady Pios broke open a tight game with six of their 11 hits in the fourth and took a 5-0 advantage before taking a 6-2 victory.
“We feed off of each other really well and it’s just fun to watch,” said ND coach Ashley Ray. “We just kind of rolled with it and it was great.”
Gossen was more than adequate in the circle and set the tempo early by sitting down the first eight batters she faced. She struck out the first four batters of the game on strikes and finished with six strikeouts while allowing just five hits.
“Marcella had been doing really well for us,” said Ray. “When she comes out hot, she works the zones really well. She’s understanding that she’s not just up there throwing for them to hit; It’s a strategy and it’s a gameplan and we’re working around hitters and she’s starting to realize that.
“When she comes out there fresh and she’s not tired, it’s beautiful to watch.”
Gossen gave up just one hit through the first four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth when the Lady Tigers scored their only two runs on two hits and a hit batter.
“Towards the middle to the end of the game, she’s tired,” said Ray of Gossen. “And it’s nothing that’s bad but it’s fun to watch her those first couple of innings because she does just come out and put on a show when she does it the right way and I think that’s what kind of happened today.”
Gossen got a little help in the fifth inning when Mary Kate Bourgeois made a one-out diving catch in center field with a runner on first. Bourgeois then recorded the final out of the frame on a flyout.
“Mary Kate’s diving catch was beautiful and she does that all the time,” said Ray. “She’s always that kid that you want in that situation because she’s going to do what she has to do to catch it. I’m confident in all of them but I know she’s going to run through the wall or layout no matter what.”
The Lady Pios also got a diving catch in the hole between third base and shortstop by Mimia Doucet in the fifth inning. Overall, Notre Dame didn’t commit a single error on the day.
“We work a whole lot on our defense because Marcella is normally not a strikeout type of pitcher, especially late in the game, so that’s where our defense has to step up and they handled that well today,” said Ray. “We knew that they (Doyle) were going to put the ball in play, which they did, and our defense was big today.
“You know, we ride Marcella pretty hard so the diving catches we can make and the routine plans we can make helps us help her.”
The Lady Pios were also impressive at the plate where they banged out 11 hits off Doyle’s Olivia Welda.
Doucet and Bourgeois logged back-to-back singles to start the bottom of the first inning before the first run of the game crossed the plate on an errant throw at third base. Sydnei Simon tacked on another run on a sacrifice fly to give the Lady Pios a 2-0 advantage.
Kennedy Smith collected her first of two hits, a double, in the second inning but was left stranded.
The Lady Pios caught fire in the fourth when Simon singled to start the frame. After a flyout, Notre Dame recorded five straight hits and pushed across four runs.
Gossen helped her own cause with an RBI single to left before Mackenzie Abshire and Mary Helen Hundley earch logged RBI singles.
Gossen also had a single in the fifth while Abhsire and Doucet each singled in the sixth.
Alissa Martin led the Lady Tigers with a pair of hits while Madison Watts, Kamryn Spears and Welda each had one.