Mars out to repeat ’14 drive
The Mars Area softball team is seeing a silver lining to all those clouds in the sky this year.
Weather forced Mars to postpone six of its first eight games. The team did not get to practice on its home field until this past Sunday.
It is a little bit of déjà vu from last season.
There were seven postponements last season. The Planets closed their regular season by playing five games in five days.
“It was the same kind of thing last season,” Planets coach Michele Goodworth recalled. “It was raining all the time. We had so much time off again, we were cooped up in the gym and then playing three games in one week.”
But then, Mars got hot at the right time. As a No. 13 seed, the team knocked off Blackhawk, West Mifflin Area and Elizabeth Forward, all in one-run games to reach its first WPIAL final since 2006. Mars would fall to another underdog, No. 12 Thomas Jefferson, 5-3, in the WPIAL Class AAA final.
“It was really an exciting run because it was unexpected,” Goodworth said. “We knew that the team was talented at the time, but I don’t know if we realized how much they could accomplish. We just kept building on each win and it was very exciting. It was a long time in coming to reach that competition again.”
In a small sample size, Mars has shown that potential again this year. In four Section 5-AAA games, Mars activated the 10-run mercy rule against Oakland Catholic, 17-0, and Indiana, 12-0, then won comfortably against Highlands, 9-1. After defeating Montour, 10, in a non-section game last week, the Planets (5-4, 4-1) lost their first section home game, a 7-3 decision against Hampton on April 15, but bounced back to defeat the Talbots, 11-5, on Tuesday.
Goodworth, now in her 17th season at Mars, hopes the Planets can build off last season’s late rush.
Three senior starters graduated from that team but the incoming freshmen class has produced four new starters — center fielder Maggie Olshenske, right fielder Jordyn Douglas, shortstop Isabella Berkopec and third baseman/pitcher Lindy Lee.
Lee will be waiting in the wings behind returning junior pitcher Niki Schlegel.
“[Schlegel] is just a tough-minded kid,” Goodworth said. “She doesn’t have a lot of mental breakdowns. She is strong — mentally strong — and she can move the ball. Niki works very hard.”
She is reunited with her catcher from last season, sophomore Marina Manupelli. The other returning starters are senior first baseman Suzanna Papik and junior second baseman Mallory Eperesi. Junior Katelyn Hoover is a new starter in left field.
“I am excited to see what these girls will accomplish,” Goodworth said. “They want to build on last year’s success.
”It is a good motivated group of girls. I just think they are ready to play. I am looking forward to seeing what they are capable of accomplishing.”