CLAYMONT — Appoquinimink’s offense got going in the first inning, as the Jaguars scored three times on the way to a 14-0, six-inning win over Archmere in softball on March 30.
Alexia Fitzgerald started the game with a single, the first of three she would collect on the afternoon. After she reached, the next two hitters, Julia Weglarz and Hailey Watlington, also got on via an error and a base hit, respectively. Auks pitcher Tori Conner settled down after that. Those three scored, but that was it for the Jaguars. Conner made a nice stab of a ground ball for the final out.
Fitzgerald scored in the second on a one-out double by Julia Weglarz, and the Jaguars tacked on three more in the third. Again, as in the first, the first three batters of the inning scored the runs, although the Auks were able to turn a double play when Ryan Vitola caught a fly ball in center, and Archmere threw a runner out at third.
Conner set down Appo for two innings before the Jaguars batted around in the seventh, doubling their 7-0 advantage.
Meanwhile, Savannah Laird was dealing in the circle. The junior pitcher pitched five innings, striking out nine. She allowed just one hit, a single by Ruby Merenda with one out in the third inning. She yielded to freshman Ayla McCathern in the sixth, and McCathern struck out the three batters she faced.
Appoquinimink improved to 3-0 on the season. The Jaguars take on Delware Military Academy on Saturday at noon at Midway Softball Complex.
For the Auks, Conner had four strikeouts. Archmere (1-2) plays its first home game on Thursday against First State Military at Big Oak Park at 3:30 p.m.
All photos by Mike Lang.
