EY’s Athenas prepping for Leaside battle

[attach]1670[/attach]A 19-0 taming of Lawrence Park Panthers was a testament to East York Athenas strong pitching May 10.

So said coach Maria Fortier, as her team continued its climb up the standings, looking to revisit the city championships.

The reason: Zoe Mason’s four inning shutout, allowing just three runners on base.

Girls softball has a cap of five runs per inning, and the game was called after the fourth.

Lawrence Park coach Lisa Conroy was encouraging about her group, noting that once her team can get an ace on the mound, they’ll give fellow Tier 1 denizens a run.

“I think the thing with the tier we play is that if you don’t have a pitcher, you’re not going to be competitive,” she said. “You play with what you have.”

Still, Conroy gave a shout out to her young star Beth Mackenzie, who came off the bench to smack a pitch off Mason.

And she gave kudos Erika Hayashi and Sarah Doss for providing “kind leadership” on the team.

With East York, Jaimie McDonnell also had a great game both at the plate and behind it as catcher.

But the big challenge facing the Tier 1 Athenas is the Lancers arsenal.

“Historically we expect Leaside,” Fortier said, adding there has been a consistent rivalry between the Don Valley schools.

When West Don meets East for South Region supremacy, the winner usually faces the North Region’s top, York Mills Titans, in the citys.

For the Panthers, it’s all about staying positive, and awaiting which of the South Region’s top seeds they face.