LAWRENCE – The smile on Central Catholic ace Julia Malowitz’s face told the story Saturday at Kennedy Park.
After struggling in her last game out, the senior pitcher quickly found her form just two days later as the Raiders (5-0) stayed perfect and handed Amesbury ( 7-1) its first loss with a commanding 3-0 shutout.
“I didn’t have my best game against Tewksbury so this was like personal redemption,” said Malowitz, who was able to get back to what has been a very successful routine for her inside the circle. “I just wanted to stay in my own world out there.”
It’s safe to say that Malowitz’s world proved to be a fairly scary one for a potent Amesbury lineup. The Redhawks managed just three hits and fanned a dozen times against the senior. Mixing her speeds to perfection and touching all corners of the strike zone, Malowitz quickly put the frustrating performance in an eventual win against Tewksbury in her rearview mirror.
“She had a tough day against Tewksbury,” Central coach Stacy Ciccolo agreed of the outing that saw her usually efficient ace throw 28 pitches in the first inning, but hang on for a 9-6 win. “This was going to be a test for her, but she is just a gritty kid. She just goes to work and I really love her intensity.”
And where Malowitz had to wait for a nine-run, fifth inning to save the day her last time out, Central got all the runs it would need in the first inning against Amesbury flame thrower Izzy Levasseur (6 IP, 3ER, 6H, 8K), who pitched well in the loss.
Malowitz and Liv Boucher set the table with a pair of singles and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Central’s Caitlin Milner plated the first run with a deep sacrifice fly to center. That set the stage for the red-hot Olivia Moeckl, who quickly deposited a Levasseur offering into the dandelions over the left field fence for her second home run in as many games. The three-run lead was just what the doctor ordered for Malowitz.
“That early lead does a lot for us,” said Malowitz, who will pitch for Wentworth Institute of Technology next spring while studying electrical mechanical engineering. “It gives me early confidence on the mound and is a help for sure.”
The senior ace cruised from there and got out of her only hint of trouble in the sixth when she got a soft roller to get out of a two-out jam for the Raiders, who played error-free ball.
If Ciccolo had any qualms with this one it might be that her team wasn’t able to give her pitcher more of a cushion. Levasseur allowed just six hits, including a pair of doubles by Central’s Bella Boyer, but for the most part kept the potent Raiders’ lineup at bay.
“I am disappointed that we didn’t add to that (first inning), but their pitcher is very good and very smart,” said the coach. “She did a really good job managing our hitters. We have got to get better producing up and down the lineup and that will be a focus for us.”