After putting the icing on the cake in Tuesday’s game, Hanover Central’s Marley Hanlon got icing on her face.
The senior pitcher celebrated her birthday a day early by tossing a two-hitter and adding a two-run homer in the seventh inning as the Wildcats posted a 6-1 Greater South Shore Conference win against host Wheeler.
As Hanlon rounded the bases on her third homer of the season, her teammates serenaded her with an abbreviated rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
After the game, the party kicked up a notch.
The Wildcats enjoyed some cupcakes as they sang the full version to Hanlon. And led by Hanover coach Amanda Suarez, joined by senior outfielder Skylar Barnett and assistant Megan Myers, Hanlon received a face full of frosting.
“Nobody likes me over there,” Hanlon said with a laugh. “It was like Julius Caesar.”
Clearly taking the moment in the spirit it was intended, she added, “It was a good day.”
Suarez described the dual sides of the Wildcats (14-0, 9-0).
“There’s a plan on this team: You have to keep your guard up and you always have to attack them before they attack you,” she said with a smile. “They tackled me at practice and dumped water on me, so I had the opportunity and I had to take it. We have fun sometimes.
“It’s fun to win, but we have fun off the field too. This team is pretty awesome. They like to goof around at practice, but they also know when to stop and work. You have to have a balance of hard work and fun, right?”
The Wildcats appear to have found that balance. They remained undefeated by beating the Bearcats (9-5, 7-2) for the second time in five days, winning 3-2 Friday.
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Hanlon (14-0) allowed an unearned run in the fourth Tuesday with nine strikeouts and no walks. She retired the first 10 batters before allowing a single to Kaitlin Horgash. Wheeler’s only other hit was pitcher Julia Taylor’s double in the sixth on a misplayed ball.
With the game-time temperature at 78 degrees, as opposed to 45 Friday, Hanlon was better able to put spin on the ball. But she was still leery of facing the same quality opponent in such close proximity.
“I had to be tough,” Hanlon said. “I had to change some things up.”
Cleanup hitter Alexis Mokos went 4-for-4 with a double. She had an RBI single in the fifth. Hanlon, the No. 5 hitter, went 2-for-3 with a walk and the two-run homer in the seventh.
“I like following Alexis,” Hanlon said. “I get to see a lot of pitches and she just gives me a lot of confidence.”
Skylar Barnett went 2-for-4. Dakota Ward had an RBI double in the fourth to score the first run and Ashtyn Barnett added an RBI single in the inning. Camryn Veteto had an RBI single in the sixth.
The Wildcats had nine hits against Taylor in six innings, after getting four on Friday. They finished with 12 hits.
“The challenge was seeing good pitching again,” Suarez said. “She had us off-balance last time. We did a much better job with discipline at the plate and taking her further into the count this time.
“Some of the balls we tried to pull last time, we took them up the middle and they were base hits. I was just glad to see adjustments.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff