U12 Magicians Are Middle-Essex Champions

The U12 Marblehead Magicians put the final touches on an amazing summer season, taking a 16-0 "mercy rule" victory over the North Andover Scarlet Knights in just four-and-a-half innings on Monday at Veterans Middle School.

The win ensures the Magicians will finish as one of the top four teams in the Middle-Essex softball league, making them one of the league's four champions.

Kaylyn Countie pitched a complete game shutout for the local girls, striking out 13 of the 23 batters she faced, including three strikeouts in the first, fourth and fifth innings. She did not allow the North Andover team a single hit in the contest, and she only walked six hitters.

Marblehead was kept off the scoreboard in the first inning, but broke through for six runs in the second and third innings, before securing the mercy rule victory with four more runs in the fourth.

In the second, the Magicians earned four runs by way of walks. Alexa Brown and Toni Vinciarelli recorded RBI-singles in the inning, scoring Alexa Ehrenberg and Kaitlyn Bernato respectively.

In the third, Caroline Tucker drove in Countie for the first run of the inning before three more Magicians were walked home. Then, Ehrenberg connected for an RBI-single that scored Tucker, before Bernato was walked in for the sixth run of the inning.

The bats came alive for Marblehead in the fourth, as Tucker knocked in Brown and Vinciarelli with a two-RBI single. Alexa Shapiro and Heather Purchase also earned RBI in the inning, with a single and a sacrifice respectively.

The win brings the Magicians record to 12-1-1, currently placing them at third place in the 39-team league. Ahead of the Marblehead girls are the Newton Panthers (13-0-0) and the Malden Hurricanes (11-1-0). The Magicians could possibly take over second place as the final standings for the league have yet to be posted.

Check back here at Patch for the final standing of the Middle-Essex League to see where the Magicians will end up. 

Download the movie