CARTERVILLE -- The Marion Junior High School softball team is off to a blazing start and is perfect through six games.
The Lady Wildcats opened the season Thursday with a win at Centralia, went a perfect 4-0 to win their own Marion Invitational on Saturday, then slugged past Carterville, 7-4, on Monday in a Big Seven Conference game.
At the tournament, Marion rolled past Z-R-C and West Frankfort in the early morning rounds, then cruised past Carmi in the semifinals, 13-1, with Presley Barnett's three-run triple breaking things open in the first inning.
MJHS faced Elverado in the championship game and won 5-3 after plating three runs in the second inning and two in the fourth.
In Monday's win at Carterville, Karris Rhine got the scoring started by reaching on an error and coming home on a groundout by Bailey Long after being sacrificed over by Ava Wong.
In the second, Baylee Kelley singled and scored on a double by Jerzy Bittle, who later scored on a double by Rhine. Addi Wall walked and scored on a sac fly by Wong in the fifth and Wall ripped her own two-run single in the sixth.
Camryn Harre was the winning pitcher for the Lady Wildcats.
Marion plays at home Tuesday against Massac County.
