Source: Hometown Life

Author: Dan O'Meara

Andrea Elmore has contributed greatly to the Mercy High School softball team’s success with her pitching.

She showed another side of her athletic ability Thursday, demonstrating she also can hit the ball.

Elmore’s three-run homer helped separate the Marlins from visiting Allen Park Cabrini and propel them to a 6-2 victory in a Catholic League semifinal game.

“Andrea has done more pitching than batting the last couple years,” coach Alec Lesko said. “I talked to her about that. I said: ‘Let’s work really hard on your swing and getting you some at-bats.’

“She has really responded to that. What a time to hit the first home run of your career — in a Catholic League semifinal game!”

Trailing 2-0 after two innings, the Marlins started the third with back-to-back singles by Anna Dixon and Sophie VanAcker.

With one out, Cari Padula and Nicole Belans produced consecutive RBI singles, setting the table for Elmore’s blast over the left-center field fence.

“She has hit the ball hard many times but not gotten much air under it when she did,” Lesko said. “On this one, she did. She really stroked it well; it carried our fence and then some.”

The Marlins (23-1) added a sixth run in the sixth inning when Shannon Gibbons hit a leadoff single, stole second base and scored on Mary Reeber’s one-out single.

Mercy had 10 hits with seven players contributing to the total. Belans was 2-for-3, Dixon and VanAcker 2-for-4.

The Marlins had to deal with a little adversity as they fell behind 2-0 in the first inning. Both runs scored when a fly ball glanced off the glove of the center fielder for an error.

At that early stage, Lesko thought his pregame concerns might become a reality.

The school prom was the previous night, and the seniors weren’t in school Thursday. The daily routine wasn’t the same.

“A lot of things were different,” Lesko said. “I was concerned because sometimes that can send you off kilter a little bit. I thought something crazy might happen on our home field.

“I was afraid my worst fears were about to come true in that first inning. Then we settled down.

“After we saw their pitcher one time through the lineup, we adjusted and got a few hits. The highlight was Andrea’s bomb. We were pretty excited with that.”

Elmore allowed only three hits and struck out seven. She also issued seven walks, which is not characteristic of her pitching.

“No, it’s not,” Lesko said. “To her credit, she was able to pick herself up and work her way out of it. She was pretty pumped up after hitting that ball out of the park.”

The Marlins will play Pontiac Notre Dame Prep in the A-B Division championship game at 6 p.m. Monday at the University of Detroit Mercy.

The Fighting Irish defeated defending champion Warren Regina in the other semifinal game Wednesday, 5-4.

Lesko said he doesn’t know too much about Prep, which won the AA Division and will play in the final game for the first time since 2007. The teams haven’t played in recent years.

“Whether we’re playing them or Regina, it really doesn’t matter,” Lesko said. “We were more concerned with getting their ourselves. Whoever we face, we’ll try to do our thing.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun, and it’s always a great atmosphere there at the University of Detroit Mercy.”

The Marlins lost to Regina in a semifinal game last year and made it a goal to get back to UDM.

As well as Mercy has done this year, it has the potential to play even better, Lesko added.

“I feel very fortunate our record is what it is,” he said. “We have been playing well, but I don’t think we’ve actually played our best.

“We’re getting by and playing over our mistakes. We’re able to put runs on the board to overcome those mistakes.

“We talk about it all the time. The mistakes have to go away. If that was to happen, I like our chances on any given day.”