LIVONIA, Mich. — St. Ursula’s softball team ran into quite a juggernaut in Monday’s Catholic High School League Bishop Division championship at Madonna University.
Farmington Hills (Mich.) Mercy blasted three home runs, while University of Alabama commit Kaitlyn Pallozzi was nearly flawless in the circle, as the Marlins blanked the Arrows 10-0 in six innings to win their fourth consecutive league title.
“They’re an amazing softball team. Top to bottom, they’re fantastic, well coached, and they played well today,” St. Ursula coach Amy Muszynski said of the Marlins. “I’m very proud of my girls.
“It was kind of an up-and-down season, we had some unluckiness. … [Mercy’s] just such a good hitting team. I’m very pleased with my team.”
St. Ursula tallied just three hits against Pallozzi, one of the top-ranked juniors in the country. Having to play with the CHSL regulation that when a league game is taking place in Michigan, three balls results in a walk and two strikes results in a strikeout, made things challenging, as well.
Pallozzi finished with 13 strikeouts and no walks in her complete-game performance. Taleen Boman’s double to deep left field in the first inning, Sydney Schlachter’s bunt single to lead off the fourth, and Brynn Anteau’s single on a liner to right in the sixth were the only hits of the game for the Arrows.
“Pitching, fundamentals, just the physicalness of pitching, there isn’t any question about it. But I think her true strength is her mentality, her confidence,” Mercy coach Corey Burras said of Pallozzi after his team won its 25th straight game to improve to 26-1. “Her reliance on her team knowing that she’s got seven behind her and a great catcher who’s going to catch for her, so it’s just that resiliency trusting the process, trusting her team, and knowing we’ve got her back.”
St. Ursula pitcher Charlee Wood got off to a strong start in retiring the Marlins in order with three total strikeouts in the first two innings. From there, however, Mercy adjusted.
Charlie Lambert belted a three-run home run to left field in the third inning, while Evelyn Miller and Meg Kowalyk both hit two-run shots in the fifth. Kat Burras added an RBI double in the fifth, and Sophia Chaput and Lambert ripped back-to-back RBI singles in the sixth to end the game and give Mercy the title.
“Four in a row is great,” Corey Burras said. “It was a great venue, it was a great team we played against.
“I’m really pleased that we came out, Kaitlyn did what Kaitlyn does. We know we’re going to get a strong outing from her. It’s just a matter of time before we make the adjustments in the box and start swinging.”
Wood took the loss after allowing six runs on five hits in 4⅔ innings. She had seven strikeouts and three walks.
Muszynski said she was proud that her team, which won the Three Rivers Athletic Conference title last season in the final year of the league, continued to compete and adjust to changes in the CHSL throughout the 2024 campaign.
“This transition into the Catholic league has been interesting, let’s put it that way,” she said. “Probably the biggest adjustment is playing 3-2 softball, and obviously, this was a 3-2 softball game.
“I’m so proud of the girls. These bus trips get long and we end up with some really long nights. But as much as this has been taxing emotionally and mentally, they keep showing up and they keep fighting. So I’m super proud of them. I think it’s awesome to make it to the championship game in our first year, and I’m looking forward to things to come.”
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