Alliance, OH- It was as if the script was written in Hollywood, with the weather about as perfect as we have had in Northeast Ohio this spring. Even more storybook than the weather was two sisters with back-to-back home runs to open the game.
Marlington Head Softball Coach Joe Tagliarini pencils his senior leader and 3-year captain Audrey Miller in to leadoff, followed by her freshman sister Chelsea. What transpired in the top of the first on Tuesday afternoon is something they both have envisioned for some time.
"It's been a goal of ours to hit them back to back and it feels good that we finally got to do that." - Chelsea Miller
Audrey Miller sends one of her three home runs to left field.
The elder Miller is one of two seniors on a rather youthful Dukes team this spring. She has committed to Toledo to continue her academic and athletic careers but is not only a leader statistically, but in how she goes about the game from warm-ups through the final out.
"Softball is supposed to be a fun game, I feel like sometimes it's easy to get caught up in all of the numbers and everything but it's really supposed to be fun so I just try to exemplify that out on the field because I love softball, and all of us love softball and I don't want us to forget that." - Audrey Miller
Chelsea Miller sends a shot down the right field line resulting in a triple.
For the game, the Miller sisters led the onslaught, combining to go 8 for 9 with a walk and combining for 4 home runs. Audrey accounted for three of the 4-baggers while Chelsea also contributed a triple. The Dukes tallied 22 hits as a team, with nearly the entire starting lineup tallying multiple hits.
Lydia Duncan earned the win from the circle, allowing an unearned run over 4 innings.