Marlboro sophomore pitcher Leah Gunsett had a strip of orange, black and white ribbon attached to her sports bag for the entire season heading into Friday’s regular-season finale at Red Hook. Black and orange are the traditional colors worn by Dukes’ teams.

But Gunsett decided to wear the ribbons in her hair before taking the mound vs. the Raiders on May 13.
“I’ve had it on my bag for two months, I decided to put it on today,” she said. “Look good. Play good.”

The new look certainly turned out nicely for Gunsett as she flirted with a no-hitter before settling for a three-hitter in the Dukes’ 14-2 victory over Red Hook, a Mid-Hudson Athletic League (MHAL) softball game that was called after six innings due to the 12-run mercy rule.

Gunsett struck out 10 and issued just one walk. She also had a big day at the plate as she had three hits and drove in two runs.

“The screwball was working pretty good,” she said. “The change I couldn’t really get down, but the rise worked really good, too.”

Gunsett struck out seven batters through 3 1/3 innings, but saw her no-hitter broken up when Raiders hurler Emma Scibelli blooped a single to short right field. Red Hook added two more hits in the inning to cut Marlboro’s lead to 10-2.

Gunsett then retired the final seven batters she faced and the Dukes closed things out with three runs in the top of the fifth and another in the sixth.

Marlboro coach Ray Leduc said Gunsett and ace Ava Del Salto give him a great one-two punch on the mound. He said the luxury of having two good pitchers came in handy this week when the Dukes (11-1 overall, 10-0 MHAL) finished the regular season with four games (all wins) in the space of five days.

“It’s a big benefit because then we’re not leaning on one pitcher the whole time,” Leduc said. “We had four games this week and if you had one pitcher trying to pitch four games that’s going to take a toll, especially as we get further into sections and postseason play. You want your pitchers to be fresh.”

Although the trip to Red Hook was on Friday the 13th, the Dukes had no bad luck against the winless (0-12) hosts. They took a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

Leadoff hitter Kalista Birkenstock lifted a long fly toward Red Hook left fielder Cami Palumbo, but when she couldn’t snag it the speedy Birkenstock motored around the bases for an inside-the-park homer and a quick 1-0 lead. Birkenstock was 3-for-3 on the afternoon with two RBIs.

Kasey Conn, who reached on a fielder’s choice, came around to make it 2-0 on a botched Red Hook infield play.

Emma Jackson, who had four hits for the Dukes, drove in another run staking Gunsett to a 3-0 lead as she took the mound in the bottom of the first.

After hurling a scoreless first inning, Gunsett got the Dukes going in the top of the second with a leadoff infield single. Taylor Anderson and Birkenstock walked to load the bases. Ella Leduc drove in a run with a single to center for a 4-0 lead and Conn made it 5-0 with an RBI grounder.

When the Dukes scored five runs in the top of the third for a 10-0 lead, the only suspense was if Gunsett would get her no-hitter. Though she didn’t, she managed to impress her coach.

“She has been solid all year,” Leduc said. “It’s her second year now pitching for us. She grew and got stronger. She has good command and control of her pitches and throws real hard.”

The Dukes were scheduled to play in the MHAL Championships as one of four division winners on Tuesday, May 17. They will face either Roosevelt or Saugerties in the first semifinal game. Spackenkill and Pine Plains are scheduled to face each other in the other semifinal contest.

The Dukes are the defending Section 9 Class B champions. The Class B tournament is scheduled to begin Friday, May 20.

“We really haven’t talked about it,” Leduc said of another possible Class B title. “I’m sure they’ve talked about it and thought about it, which they should. We’re just going to take it one step at a time because one and done is a real tough scenario.”