After giving up six runs to visiting Interboro High School in the first half of last Wednesday's non-league softball game, Mount St. Joseph Academy cut its deficit to two runs by scoring four times in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The visitors eventually responded by putting up four of their own in the top of the sixth, and although the Mounties were able to add a few late runs, in the end they bowed to the Buccaneers, 10-7. This left Mount St. Joe with a record of 0-5 in the young 2023 season, while Interboro leveled off at 2-2.

After the Bucs left one walked runner on base in the top of the first, the Magic had freshman Daria Yohe drive a single up the middle in the bottom half. She went to second on a passed ball, but was left stranded due to a fly-out and a strike-out.

In the second stanza two more Interboro players drew walks, and the visitors picked a pair of runs with a double to left center and a sacrifice ground-out. The Mounties went down in order in the home half of the inning.

Following a single and a strike-out by the Bucs at the top of the third, a fielder's choice play put the batter on base while the Magic were unable to secure an out at the plate. This made it 3-0, and the next Interboro batter waited out a walk.

Mount starting pitcher Emily Vinal left the circle and was stationed out in centerfield, while Yohe, the freshman, came in to pitch. The Magic retired the visiting side without further damage thanks to a double play by junior second baseman Vivian Moore, who fielded a grounder, tagged the runner coming from first base, and then threw to first for another out.

It was still 3-0 at the end of the inning; the Mount left senior Meg Martin on base after she singled down the right field line. Also a tennis player for Mount St. Joseph, Martin will be pursuing that sport at Lebanon Valley College.

The Bucs loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fourth, and they got three more runs home before the third out came on a fly to center to Vinal. She will also be heading to central Pennsylvania for college, having picked Gettysburg.

Vinal led off the bottom of the fourth with a single to center, then she came home when sophomore Charlotte Gale hit a home run over the fence in left centerfield. This was the first time that the fence had been breached on the current MSJ softball field.

Sophomore Jewel Schaefer and freshman Emily Markowski got on base with singles to left field, but two outs followed. Martin then put the ball in play to the left side, and when she beat a throw to first base, a run scored. Going to left field again, the Magic had Moore produce an RBI single, and at the end of four frames the scored had tightened up to 6-4.

That figure stayed on the board through the fifth inning, but at the top of the sixth Interboro started off with a triple and proceeded to score four runs for a 10-4 lead.

The home team got one run back on the flip side of the inning, when Markowski drew a walk, moved to second on a ground-out by fellow freshman Kaitlyn Cockerham, and came home on a double by junior Kayla Funk.

The Buccaneers were dispatched one-two-three at the top of the seventh, but the Magic were still down by five runs when they came up to bat for the last time. Two outs were sandwiched around a single by Vinal, and then back-to-back doubles by Schaefer and Markowski each brought in one run. A strike-out then wrapped up a 10-7 win for the visitors.