Kaitlyn Pallozzi at peak of her powers in top-ranked Mercy’s sweep of Eaglets
By Bryan Everson The Oakland Press
ORCHARD LAKE – Thirty-three strikeouts, and somehow, it could have been more.
Farmington Hills Mercy ace Kaitlyn Pallozzi fanned that many batters over a dozen innings in the doubleheader that the No. 1 Marlins swept at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Tuesday evening by scores of 8-0 and 15-7.
But thanks to Pallozzi’s modest pitch count, it was the several frames in Game 2 in which she didn’t throw that Marlins head coach Corey Burras highlighted.
“You didn’t know it, but she said, ‘Hey, let’s put Anna (McGavin) in the second game,’ because she wanted to spread the wealth,” Burras said. “She wanted Anna to get experience and that’s why (Anna) pitched the second game. Kaitlyn’s pitch count was down and she said let’s give this sophomore a chance. What other pitcher do you know who’s giving away innings so a sophomore can play? That should speak volumes about her character.”
The Alabama commit returned to fan the final three batters of the day, capping off her latest display of near perfection.
Pallozzi was a passed ball on a third strike away from a perfect game in the Marlins’ win to open the day. All that meant was that she was able to strike out 22 hitters in Game 1 instead of 21.
“The rise ball was really working today,” Pallozzi said. “I threw one changeup in there in the second game, but I’m just trying to get hitters out, whether that’s a ground ball, fly out or a strikeout. That’s the goal.”
Her opposite in the first game, senior Maddy Anson (Kentucky), did well to give the Eaglets (5-9) a chance. She allowed one hit and four walks and wasn’t charged with any earned runs throughout her four-inning start, which finished with St. Mary’s trailing just 3-0.
“She hasn’t pitched much at all, so we’re just trying to ease her back into it, slowly but surely,” Eaglets head coach Dave Langlois said of Anson, who struck out six. “What we’re really looking for is who we can pair with her, before or after her? How does that work to kind of leverage her two times through the lineup, getting hitters to chase (her) stuff with a little velo, and who can come in and hit their spots, and move the ball around a little bit?”
Run-scoring hits by Charlie Lambert and Evelyn Miller helped further open the game up in the fifth, then Mercy added three more runs for good measure in the seventh.
The Marlins didn’t wait quite so long to support Pallozzi in the second game, as Meghan Kowalyk, Evelyn Miller and Lauren Miller all drove in runs as part of a four-run first inning, and it was 11-0 by the time Pallozzi stepped aside for McGavin.
Reese Mountain and Maddie Grabel contributed at the bottom of the lineup, too, but St. Mary’s 1-2-3 punch at the top of the order in Anson, Mia Tribul and Riley Higgins accounted for half of the Eaglets’ eight hits in Game 2 to eat into the sizable lead before Pallozzi returned to close the door.
“It’s as nice of three-hitter combo that I’ve seen around,” Langlois said. “I’ve been around high school softball for a while and those three can hit about anybody. And they can run really well, too. When they get on base, they put pressure on people.”
Evelyn Miller and Sophia Chaput each collected a handful of hits for Mercy (9-1) over the course of the evening, while Kowalyk was also an extra-base machine in the second game, doubling in three at-bats to help drive in a team-high three runs.
The Marlins appear to be on a similar trajectory as in recent seasons. Their only loss came in the second game of a doubleheader on April 1 against Divine Child, ranked No. 3 in Division 2.
"We want to get better every day," Burras said. "We lost two from a really good team last year. We're a really good team this year, but it's a completely different team. We have to build a new identity. Our core is there, but we're enhancing, molding a strong team ... I think continually progressing, we're going to peak at the right time. Defensive support, we're doing great. Offensive support, we can do a little bit better, and we're getting better every day."
Langlois, meanwhile, is no stranger to a star in the circle like Pallozzi. In fact, she dueled Ava Bradshaw last year when the Marlins played South Lyon, from where Langlois departed to take the St. Mary's job in the offseason.
"My daughters went to Mercy, graduated from there, both played softball there, and I've loved the Catholic League forever," Langlois said. "This was a nice opportunity. I know some people in and around the program, reached out and said this might be a chance for me to grow a program. I'm hoping over the next however many years that we can get people in, make a name for ourselves, and all the sudden, it's the place for people to go and play softball. I don't need the best pitchers and hitters on the planet. I just need kids that want to come here, dial into a system and play softball, and we'll win enough games."
On whether it's ever a good time to leave -- Langlois directed the Lions to a quarterfinals appearance in 2022, then a spot in the Final Four last spring -- he said, "This job was open, so that has a little bit to do with it, but it was just time for a change ... No, there's never a good time to leave. I love those kids at South Lyon to death. They're all good kids. I watch them still, follow them. You've just gotta make your mark and go."
The Marlins get Livonia Stevenson next, while St. Mary's has a week off before hosting another Catholic League doubleheader against Regina.