For The Dialog
WILMINGTON – Senior Emily Coyle had two hits and four runs batted in to lead the St. Mark’s Spartans to an 8-7 win over the St. Elizabeth Vikings on March 23 at Canby Park. The game was moved from St Mark’s to Canby because of last week’s snowstorm and has resulted in the Spartans playing three games in as many days.
The Spartans struck early as Coyle’s double with the bases loaded in the first inning drove in three runs and gave the Spartans a 3-0 lead. The two-out knock was important to Coyle.
“I wasn’t going up there struggling,” she said. “I was thinking I have to put the ball in play, and I poked it right over the first baseman’s head.”
The Vikings got a run back in the bottom of the first inning as Julia Casson hit an RBI single. St. Mark’s responded with three more in the second, taking advantage of some Vikings throwing errors. Maria Mendez drove in two on a single for a 6-1 lead.
The Vikings got a run in the third as Casson led off with a triple and scored on a single by Peyton Magee. The Spartans added an unearned run in the fourth, and then Coyle came up with a big hit in the sixth. Janelle Hessler led off with a triple, but Casson struck out the next two batters. Coyle delivered a big-time single for an 8-2 lead.
“That at-bat was nerve wrecking. I knew I couldn’t leave Janelle out their on third base, and I just locked in and hit it over the second baseman’s head,” she said.
St. Elizabeth made it close with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut the Spartans’ lead to 8-6. The Vikings then got an RBI single by Casson in the bottom of the seventh, but Coyle caught a high pop to end the game with the tying run on third.
The Spartans (1-0) will host William Penn tomorrow at 4 p.m. before hosting Caesar Rodney Saturday at 1. Casson had three hits and two RBI for the Vikings (0-1). They will host Archmere Wednesday at 3:45 p.m.
