It took only nine pitches for Dulaney junior pitcher Emma Bevard to get through the first inning of Thursday's Class 4A North Region first-round playoff game. It was an indication that Mervo was in for a long afternoon in Timonium.
Bevard and junior Madison Erhardt combined on a one-hitter as the Lions rolled to a 15-0 victory in a game shorted to 4½ innings because of the 10-run Mercy rule.
Bevard, the team's ace, finished with six strikeouts in three innings and didn't give up a hit.
"She has been shutting teams down pretty much all year," Dulaney coach Dave Barwick said. "She has a great rise ball that moves up in the strike zone real quick and has a drop ball and screwball. She has the whole package right now."
Katie Capizzi (2 singles, 3 runs scored), Hope Eckhart (2 singles, 2 runs) and Sara (double, RBI, run) led Dulaney's offense.
Barwick said it was an adjustment for his hitters because Mervo pitchers Moriah Dennis and Raven Hart did not throw as hard as most pitchers the Lions face.
"They are used to 55 to 60 miles-per-hour pitches," Barwick said. "They just had to wait, wait, wait for the pitch to get to them. It's hard to do, and it was a big change for them."
Dulaney (13-5) pushed across two runs on an error, two walks and a double by Abby Fanshaw in the first.
The Lions added eight runs in the second on six walks, an error and two hits. Maura McGinn highlighted the inning with a two-run single.
"We knew we had to get up early so we could keep going and allow most of our players playing time," said Bevard, whose team will play Western, of Baltimore City, on Monday at Dulaney.