by Devan Matthews
Correspondent
The Nordonia High School softball team is generating plenty of momentum heading into the postseason.
The Knights won a pair of games recently, both against the same opponent.
Nordonia blanked Northeast Ohio Conference Lake Division rival Normandy by the score of 9-0 at home on May 5. Then the Knights visited the Invaders two days later and posted a 21-9 victory.
With that pair of wins, Nordonia improved its overall record on the season to 10-11. The Knights are also 4-2 in division action.
The Monday game against Normandy was Senior Night for Nordonia.
The Knights scored twice in the third inning, fueled by a Kelsey Shirey double and a two-run single by Stef Misciagna.
Nordonia tallied two more runs in the fourth frame on three hits and an error. In the fifth stanza, the Knights added five more runs. Emma Shiray singled, Sarah Knepper singled and stole a base and then Jessica Russo walked to load the bases.
That set the stage for Jaime Patterson who cracked a double and drove in two runs. Then starting pitcher Rachael Mong pinch-hit, one of the few times she's hit this season. Mong didn't disappoint, slamming a double to drive home another run.
Mong also earned the victory on the pitching mound, allowing just two hits. The Knights, conversely, collected 11 hits.
"Going into the sectional, we needed to get the bats going and get some more confidence," said Nordonia head coach Jack Gore. "This was a good game for that. We also only made one error, so it was a good outing all the way around."
Gore termed the second contest against Normandy a "bizarre game." That's because the Knights were on the verge of run-ruling the Invaders before the craziness began.
Nordonia led 11-1 going into the bottom of the fourth inning when Normandy scored eight runs. The Invaders hit a pair of home runs during the frame, and one of them was a grand slam.
The good news is that those eight runs were the last ones that Normandy would score. Nordonia, meanwhile, plated nine more for the 21-9 win.
Once again, the Knights had a number of offensive leaders. They were led by Shirey, who produced a home run, double, single, stolen base and three RBIs.
In addition, Misciagna singled, doubled, tripled, scored two runs and drove in five. Knepper also homered, adding a single, double, three runs scored and three RBIs.
Ashley Puscian contributed yet another long ball, the third homer for Nordonia in the contest. She plated a pair of runs, as well.
Alyssa Budner notched the pitching win. She was relieved in the fifth inning by Shannon Schwed.
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