Narrowing their losing record to 4-5 this week, Oxford softball took three wins and dropped one game.

The Wildcats swept Troy Athens on April 25 in a double header. Oxford took game one with an 11-0 shutout. Freshman pitcher Olivia Makarewicz was a big player in the game, continuing what Head Coach Kenny Allen calls “her fine pitching.”

A few days earlier on April 23, the ladies played a double header against Rochester Adams, winning one game 6-1 and dropping the other 7-6.

In the first game, Makarewicz commanded the game from the mound, striking out five players and giving up just five hits throughout the game’s entirety.

On the offensive end, sophomores Caroline Marsh and Meghan Lupu led Oxford with three hits apiece. Marsh and senior Mackenzie Miller also had three runs batted in (RBIs) each with Miller adding two hits. Oxford made 14 hits throughout the six-inning mercy win.

The Wildcats continued their momentum with a 6-4 win in the second game. Sophomore Caitlyn Dahlerup was the pitcher on the win.

Junior Gabby Dinges, junior Sarah Tyrrell, senior Chloe Allen and sophomore Emma Morris led from the plate with two hits apiece. Chloe Allen added three RBIs to the game.

Coach Kenny Allen said the batting was a big reason for the sweeping double win.

“The girls are all taking good swings and seeing the ball very well,” he said. “This lineup is relentless.”

Contributing to the dominance of their win, the Wildcats made 14 hits in the first game. Dinges led the way with three hits and two runs. She was followed by sophomores Alexis Cardona, Maddy Lovins and Marsh as well as Tyrrell, who all had two hits apiece. Tyrrell and Lovins both added two RBIs to the stat sheet.

Paired with the strong pitching, the big number of hits was key in the win.

“This team can really hit the ball,” Allen said. “It doesn’t really matter where we are in the order or who is up, I have confidence that every single batter in our line-up can hit at any time.”

The second game didn’t go as well as the first for Oxford with a 7-6 loss. Adams came to the plate more prepared to bat well, but Allen noted that Dahlerup “showed a lot of mental toughness and resilience” from the mound, adding that she’s improving all the time.

Behind the bat, Dinges and Lupu led Oxford with two hits a piece. Sophomore Alexis Stoll added three RBIs.

Now 4-5 overall, the Wildcats will be back on the field May 1 when they travel to Richmond, which is currently the No. 2 team in the state. Allen thinks his girls are up to the task.

“If we pitch well, make plays on defense and hit, then it doesn’t matter who we play,” he said.