McQuistan, Eli combine for 7 RBIs during Brooke’s win over Madonna
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WELLSBURG -- Prior to the season opener with East Liverpool on Thursday, Brooke only practiced twice in a 20-day span to prepare because it was quarantined on two separate occasions.
The main concern with head coach Jim DiCarlo was his Bruins getting their timing down and making solid contact at the plate.
Well, so far so good, as they scored 24 runs combined in their doubleheader Thursday, then defeated Madonna 11-6 on Friday. They (3-0) swatted 11 team hits and took advantage of seven errors by the Blue Dons (3-1).
"I'm kind of surprised because we haven't had many team practices," DiCarlo said. "I expected our offense to be way behind. We did have a good batting session (Friday) and thought we hit pretty well (Thursday)."
That offense started quick with three runs in each of the first three innings. Kameryn Eckels and Felicity Eli began the bottom of the first by reaching on errors. Wyntar McQuistan then drove them home with a two-run single and later scored with two outs on a wild pitch.
In the second frame, Eli drove home a pair with a one-out double and came home on another McQuistan base knock, giving the Bruins a 6-3 advantage. Madison Brown began the rally with a one-out single, then Eckels reached on another miscue.
"I'm not going to take anything away from Brooke because they hit the ball, but we just didn't make the routine plays," Madonna head coach Chris Conti said. "The seven errors that we had were routine plays. We have to make them, but it is still early in the season. They know what they did wrong. Now they just have to get back at it (today).
The Blue Dons tied the game prior with a three-run second of its own. With the bases loaded and one away, Jordan Dillon and Carmela Pulice delivered with back-to-back RBI singles. During Pulice's hit, Maddie Cross reached third and scored on a bad throw.
Brooke put the game to bed with a four-run fourth. After Eli reached on an error to begin, Alexa Foresha, McQuistan and Angelina Lippoli produced three straight RBI doubles. The fourth run scored when Maleaha Misch dropped a sacrifice bunt and Lippoli crossed home plate on another error.
Overall, McQuistan finished with three singles, a double and four RBIs.
"Wyntar's a good, contact hitter," DiCarlo said. "She hits line drives, can square up the ball pretty well and is doing very well for a freshman. I knew she hit the ball hard -- I did not realize she had four hits."
The Bruins added a run in the fifth on an Eli run-scoring single for an 11-6 lead. The senior reached base all four times she batted with three RBIs.
Madonna tallied three more runs in the top of the fifth. Landry Bone cranked an RBI double, while Michaela Battista drove one home on a single. Shortly after, she stole second base, the ball skipped to center and Bone scored.
Misch earned the victory for Brooke with a complete-game effort. She allowed two earned runs on seven hits, two walks and struck out 10.
"To be honest, Maleaha was so sharp (Thursday). She hit all of her locations and spots," DiCarlo said. "But, she did not have great command of her pitches (Friday). I know she had some soreness, and she just toughed it out. I didn't know that originally, but I give her a lot of credit."
Bone started for Madonna, and out of the 11 runs allowed, only three were earned. She did give up 11 hits and walked one, as well as punching out eight.
"I think she did really well. This is her second or third game pitching, and she's been pitching very well," Conti said. "That's what I told her after the game.
"They're a hitting team, and we're a Class A school. They're bigger than we are, but that's fine. We scored some runs, so that's a plus for me."
Battista produced two singles, while Casey Yacos drew the only two walks allowed by Misch. Bone's double was Madonna's lone extra-base hit.
UP NEXT
Madonna: Tentatively travels to Clay-Battelle for a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.
Brooke: Tentatively hosts Buckhannon-Upshur for a DH today at 10 a.m. That and Friday's games were added late because the Bruins' tournament in Akron this weekend was canceled.
Brooke 11, Madonna 6
Madonna 0-3-0 0-3-0 0 -- 6 7 7
Brooke 3-3-0 4-1-0 x -- 11 11 2
MADONNA (3-1): Bone (LP, CG, 11R (3ER), 11H, 1BB, 8K) and Sole. Daugherty S; Bone D, RBI; Battista 2S, RBI; Cross S; Dillon S, RBI; Pulice S, RBI.
BROOKE (3-0): Misch (WP, CG, 4R (2ER), 7H, 2BB, 10K) and Brown. Eli 2S, 3RBIs; Foresha D, RBI; McQuistan 3S, D, 4RBIs; Lippoli D, RBI; Hedmond S; Brown 2S.