Age is just a number.

Marian freshman pitcher Morgan Kelly proved that adage to be true on Tuesday in its District 11 Class 1A quarterfinal matchup with Weatherly.

The freshman, who has served as the Fillies ace throughout the season, was overpowering, striking out 14, and helping her squad advance to the semifinals as Marian downed Weatherly 11-4.

A fast start is exactly what the Fillies were looking for, and that is exactly what they got.

Eden Arnold got the game’s first big hit with a two-run single to the first base side, bringing in Mia Nemeth and Kelly to spot the freshman dynamo two early runs.

Kelly then went to work in the bottom of the first. A double by Alexis Colecio gave the Wreckers some early momentum, but it didn’t faze the youngster as she retired the side with three straight strikeouts – which would become a common theme throughout the game.

“In high school softball, getting out to a fast start is a good thing. It gives you confidence; it allows you to relax a little bit and make you settle in to playing your game a little bit more,” said Marian head coach Joe DeAngelo. “The goal was to get the momentum early and keep the momentum. Weatherly is a scrappy team, and we knew they weren’t going to go down without fighting back, but the key was we were able to answer whenever they scored as well.”

Marian continued to answer the call as the game went on, busting the game wide open between the third and fourth innings. With Kelly keeping the Wreckers’ bats at bay, the offense stayed explosive. Three runs in the third, and three more in the fourth made it an 8-0 Fillies’ advantage.

Hits by Athena Matenkoski, Nemeth, Jackie Guth, Kelly, Alise Heisey and Anna Grabosky helped to up the Marian lead.

“We had to make some defensive adjustments today, because we were missing our shortstop, but we’re not excuse makers; we had the next girl up mentality today. Marian played a great game. They outhit us and outplayed us in the field, and that was the difference in the game,” said Weatherly head coach Will Bartel. “They also have a terrific young pitcher, and a good pitcher can sometimes shut you down. But I’m proud of our season. We had a great season. First division championship in 23 years, and first time we made Schuylkill League playoffs in school history. We’re making strides.”

It was evident the Weatherly lineup missed its most dangerous hitter in Marissa Hoffman, as the offense had seven players left on base through five innings of play.

But, the Wreckers’ bats did come alive a bit starting in the bottom of the fifth after Kelly walked the first two batters that was followed by a nice hit to deep left center field by Amanda Colecio that brought in a run. A run was scored earlier in the inning on a wild pitch, cutting the Marian lead to seven. Weatherly then added another in the sixth, but just as they did throughout the contest, the Fillies answered.

Marian scored two runs in the top of the seventh to get that always important late-game insurance, which put the game out of reach for the Wreckers. A two-run single from Grace Gallagher clinched the win for the Fillies.

“We’re excited to get the win, and we’re excited to get to prepare for another game,” said Kelly. “We’ll go out there and play hard and hope for the best.

“Today, we were able to build off our early momentum. I wanted to try and change it up today, so they wouldn’t know if it was going to be on the inside or outside, and I was able to throw strikes.”

NEXT UP

… The Colts now move onto the District 11 1A semis where they will take on No. 1 seed Tri-Valley in Hegins on Thursday.

Marian 203 310 2 - 11 13 2

Weatherly 000 021 1 - 4 6 2

Kelly and Grabosky; Von Frisch and Alexis Colecio. W - Kelly. L - Von Frisch.