Eastern Tech was the standard bearer in Baltimore County softball the previous decade. The Mavericks appear ready to reclaim their throne.

No. 13 Eastern Tech defeated Catonsville, 9-2, in a Baltimore County Division I contest in Essex. Freshman Audrey Coker went 4-for-4 with 3 RBI and Sydney Weaver finished with 3 hits, 2 RBI and scored 3 runs.

The Mavericks (8-1 overall) broke the game open in the middle innings against the reigning Baltimore County champ Comets to remain undefeated in league play (7-0). Grace Himmelman went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Eastern Tech coach Giselle Alvarez was pleased to see her squad produced 10 hits Tuesday, including three doubles.

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“You got to put the ball in play, you got to put pressure on the defense, give them (opposition) a chance to make a mistake,” said Alvarez. “Swing the bat, be aggressive, put the ball in play and work with it. We were strong with it today.”

Senior Malorie Gogel struck out 11 in a complete-game 3-hit effort. The Comets scored their only runs in the top of the seventh.

The Mavericks got their bats going in the third with Weaver doubling courtesy runner Mia Humphreys to third. Humphreys scored on a fielder’s choice as Comets catcher Abigail Grimes bobbled the ball as Humphreys slid into home plate.

Coker singled home Weaver and Kara Smith, giving Eastern Tech a 3-0 advantage. In the fourth, Weaver was awarded a 2-run double when umpires ruled obstruction on Catonsville. Gracie Himmelman’s RBI single, scoring Smith, made it 7-0.

Sydney Weaver (left) had 3 hits and 2 RBI and senior Malorie Gogel struck out 10 Tuesday as No. 13 Eastern Tech remained undefeated in Baltimore County Division I play. The top two teams in Division I will play for the county championship next month. (Derek Toney)

Coker’s fourth single of the afternoon brought home Weaver in the sixth, and Hayden Gilpatrick’s RBI double, scoring Coker, advanced the Mavericks’ lead to 9-0.

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“We’re on a high right now. We’re gelling,” said Weaver. “We go up to the plate and were excited to hit. We just want to make contact.”

Amy Montgomery-Snoke’s 2-out, 2-run triple got the Comets on the board in their final at-bat. Catonsville lost to Eastern Tech, 5-2, in the regular season opener back in late March.

“The kids had a hard time adjusting to pitching. We waited too late,” said Comets coach Paul Harris. “We showed we could hit her, just waited too long.”

Despite being swept by Eastern Tech, Catonsville (6-5, 5-3 Division I) is in contention for a return trip to the Baltimore County final next month. The top two teams in the Division I standings will play for the title.

Eastern Tech last played in the county final in 2017 when it claimed the last of 7 straight titles. The Mavericks were arguably the area’s most dominant public school program between 2010 and 2019, reaching three state finals (won 2A title in 2014) and ran off 86 straight regular season victories.

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Alvarez, a Morgan State graduate, who took over the reins last spring, was the starting centerfielder on Eastern Tech’s 2014 state championship team under Jack Meyers.

“The program is about the team…all the praise and individual glory comes later,” said Alvarez. “When the girls focus on what I can do to better myself for my team, better myself for others, that keeps them drilled in and focused.”

“It’s the confidence. We’re having fun,” said Weaver. “We want to keep winning, we want to keep having fun.”

NO. 13 EASTERN TECH 9, CATONSVILLE 2

Catonsville 000 000 2 - 2 3 2

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Eastern Tech 003 402 x 9 10 0

Montgomery-Snoke and Grimes; Gogel and Demasse

2B: Eastern Tech - Weaver 2, Gilpatrick

3B: Catonsville - Montgomery-Snoke