Girls softball: Marengo powers past Burlington Central

With frigid temperatures and the wind blowing in on Rocket Hill, few people would have expected a slugfest.

But that's what happened as Burlington Central and Marengo squared off in nonconference action.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, they came out on the short end. The Indians scored 8 times in the fifth inning and got just enough pitching to come away with a 13-7 victory.

The Rockets took a 6-4 lead in the fourth on Christina Ahlers' grand slam. Ahlers also walked twice, scored 2 runs, and made a diving catch of a soft liner that turned into a double play.

Danielle Yurgil had 4 hits including a double, and Alisyn Catenacci added 3 hits for the Rockets (3-5).

"This was a lot higher scoring than I thought we would be for both teams," said Burlington Central coach Erica Snyder. "I was just disappointed because we beat ourselves in this game. The good news is we see them again and hopefully it will be a better result."

The Rockets trailed 4-1 early but took the lead in the bottom of the second. After Central loaded the bases with 1 out, Delyla Mroz-Reach singled in a run.

Then Ahlers, batting in the leadoff spot, lofted one high over the left-field fence to put the Rockets ahead.

"We had the bases loaded and who better than to have Christina up there," Snyder said. "I know she feels good about it and she should because that was just so clutch."

The Rockets kept the momentum as Central started Julia Barnes shut down the Indians for 2 innings, but the wheels came off in the fifth. Three singles, none hit particularly hard, loaded the bases with none out. An error, a single, a double by Hannah Ritter, 2 walks and a couple more soft hits eventually brought in 8 runs.

Ritter finished with 4 hits, including a pair of doubles, and Anna Walsweer added 4 hits for the Indians.

The Rockets had some chances to add to their run total but couldn't take full advantage. They had runners at first and second with none out in both the third and fifth innings. In between, Ahlers walked leading off the fourth. Yet they scored only 1 run in those 3 innings, when Yurgil scored on Sarah Schmitt's infield grounder.