Any questions concerning the welfare of the Northeast pitching situation was answered yesterday at Severna Park.

Sophomore Rachel Herrick, temporarily filling in for senior standouts Stacy Smith and Deana Benner, showed there was no cause for alarm, as she threw a three-hitter to lead the No. 2-ranked Eagles to a 6-1 win over the fourth-ranked Falcons in the season opener for both teams.

Senior shortstop Amanda Shifflett supplied most of the offense with two triples, two runs scored and an RBI. The Eagles also took advantage of four Severna Park errors.

But the story was Herrick, who retired nine straight batters at one point, didn't allow a walk and had a shutout going into the sixth inning before an unearned run scored.

With Smith, an All-Metro first-team selection last spring, out indefinitely with an illness and Benner trying to come back from a knee injury, Northeast coach Marianne Shultz hopes to see more of the same from Herrick in upcoming weeks.

This was the third varsity start for Herrick, who had two shutouts for the Eagles last spring.

"Rachel was great out there," said Shultz. "She stayed ahead in the count, did a real good job of mixing her speed and location, and stayed composed. She's filling in at a critical time and got the job done."

The Eagles scored two runs each in the second, third and fifth to take control.

Shifflett got the scoring started when she lofted a fly ball into the sun in right, which was misplayed by Joan Prim for a three-base error. Shifflett came across on a bunt from Stephanie Adams, who later made it 2-0, scoring on a wild pitch by Lauren Pollock.

In the third, Erin Hart hit a run-scoring double down the third-base line and later came in to score on another Severna Park miscue.

After Shifflett drove in a run on a towering triple to right-center and later scored to make it 6-0, the only question left was whether Herrick would get her third career shutout in as many tries.

It wasn't to be, as Megan Freienmuth singled with one out in the sixth and, with the help of some good base-running, scored one out later on an errant throw.

No. 5 Spalding 5, No. 6 Mount de Sales 0: The Sailors went to Randazzo Park looking to duplicate last season's upset victory over the Cavaliers in the Catholic League tournament final, but six Sailor errors doomed the Sailors' hopes in the season opener for both.

There was only one earned run -- a Christine Sheridan home run. Sheridan was 3-for-3.

Cavaliers pitcher Sabrina Ryals threw a two-hitter and struck out six.

"We couldn't catch the ball. That's it," said Sailors coach Pete Waskiewicz. "You just can't play error ball and give it away like that."

Pub Date: 3/23/99