The Bishop O’Connell Knights continued their long winning streak in recent days, including a key league victory in girls high-school softball action.
O’Connell (15-0) blanked the host St. Mary’s Ryken Knights, 7-0, in a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference game. Including that win, O’Connell remained undefeated in league play and extended its three-season victory streak to 46 straight.
Other recent wins were over visiting Elizabeth Seton, 17-3, and host Holy Cross, 13-0.
Ryken is the opponent expected to give O’Connell its biggest challenge in conference play this spring. In the 7-0 win, O’Connell scored four runs in the third inning and three in the seventh.
Ari Clark (three RBI) and Bri Lencz (four RBI, two hits) homered for O’Connell. M.J. Melvin doubled and Sofia Anderson had a hit.
On the mound, Lencz threw a complete-game one-hitter. She struck out nine and walked two.
In the win over Seton, Ella Fletcher started and got the win.
A previous blowout win for O’Connell was 16-1 over Good Counsel. Fletcher and Annie Van Dyck combined on a no-hitter and neither walked a batter.
Emma Prykanowski homered, doubled and had three RBI against Good Counsel. Sophia Taliaferro had four hits and five RBI, Anderson had three hits, Melvin doubled and had two hits, and Lencz and Gigi Payne each had two hits.
The Knights scored 10 runs in the first inning against Holy Cross. Abby Bond had three hits and four RBI in the win. Fletcher and Van Dyck combined for the shutout.
Also, Clark had three hits and three RBI, Lauren Gatti and Callie Lissenden (double) each had two hits and Melvin and Fletcher doubled. Holy Cross was held hitless.
In O’Connell’s win over Elizabeth Seton, Payne had two doubles and two RBI, Clark homered and drove in four runs, Anderson had a hit and two RBI, Melvin tripled, and Bond and Prykmonski each ad a hit and two RBI.
O’Connell has just a couple of regular-season games remaining, then enters the postseason as the defending champions in both the WCAC and Division I private-school state tournaments. O’Connell has won 11 straight state titles and 27 overall.
