Vikings softball outduels the Knights
Cape’s Bill Cordrey Field hosted a classic battle between the Vikings and the Golden Knights April 29, when both teams got down and dirty with wind-blown dust. When that dust settled, the Vikings had kept their unblemished record intact with a 4-3 victory over Sussex Central.
The Vikings used seven hits to garner the Henlopen North triumph. It was the first Cape win over the Knights since 2019.
The Knights drew first blood in the top of the first inning, as they scored two runs on a pair of walks with the bases loaded. Abby Marsh escaped a jam by getting a ground ball back to her that turned into a home-to-first double play.
Cape bounced back in the bottom of the inning, cutting the lead to 2-1. After Ava Calciano walked, she stole second. She was knocked home on a single by Hayden Hudson.
The Vikings tied it up in the bottom of the fifth on a booming homer by Alivia Heers.
Central retook the lead in the top of the sixth on a bases-loaded single. Cape’s Bri Windish stopped a second runner from scoring to end the inning and limit the damage to one run.
Cape took the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Olivia Mekulski reached base by error with one out. After she stole second, pinch hitter Eden Fredrick scratched out a two-out infield single. Central chose to intentionally walk Calciano to load the bases, but Heers made them pay with a hard ground ball single to plate Mekulski and Frederick in what would turn out to be the winning runs.
“I didn’t have my best stuff today,” said Marsh. “I wasn’t throwing great and it was a little rough. I knew my team was there, and I’m not nervous when they are behind me. We had a great hit by Alivia [Heers] with her homer. This was a really big win for us. Central is a great team. They’re young, but feisty, and they have a great pitcher. I’m proud of my team.”
“This was a very important win over Central,” said Heers. “We haven’t beaten them since like 2019. It’s always a fun matchup between us. We just played our game.”
“If we hit, run, field and throw, there’s not too many teams that will beat us,” said coach Mike Tkach. “A team will have to battle for seven innings to beat us.”
Cape traveled to Delmarva Christian April 30, defeating the Royals 10-2 to move to 13-0 on the season.
The game started off with Heers blasting a pitch over the fence for her second homer in as many days. She recorded her 100th career RBI on the two-run homer.
Bri Windish took one downtown later in the inning to put the Vikings up 5-0. She delivered her second homer in the seventh inning.
The Royals came back in the bottom half of the inning. Bella Marinelli smashed a triple, then Taylor Lowe reached on an error. The Royals plated two to cut the deficit to 5-2.
After that, it was all Cape, as they slammed five homers in the game. Windish went yard twice, and Calciano, Heers and Hudson each slammed one.
Cape freshman Sara Craig pitched six shutout innings for her first varsity win.
Hudson recorded her 300th putout, and 11th and 12th career double plays in the game.
Cape moves to 14-0, while the Royals are 3-5.
