Like a car engine on a frigid winter morning, it took the Marian offense a little time to warm up on Wednesday. But when all the cylinders were heated up and firing, the Fillies certainly put the pedal to the floor.

After a slow start and facing a 5-0 deficit to Schuylkill League rival Weatherly, Marian exploded over the next four innings to defeat the Wreckers 16-6 in five innings.A young Weatherly team that graduated seven seniors a season ago put on an offensive showcase in the first. The Wreckers scored five runs in the frame. Three walks and hits from Katie Graham and Morgan Gower gave Weatherly the early lead."I just talked to the girls and told them that for us it's all about getting better every time we hit that field," said Weatherly coach Margaret Brown. "We did a lot of positive things today, and obviously we have stuff we have to work on. But I think what you'll see from this team is an improvement each week and then a big improvement at the end of the season."The Fillies went scoreless in the first, but in the second they started to heat up. The Fillies collected four hits and scored four runs in the inning with Miranda Antiga, Toni Galasso, and Steph Lencovich all knocking in runs.The third inning is when Marian broke the game wide open.Eight runs on seven hits gave the Fillies a 12-6 lead. Lencovich, Karlee Gimeno, and Reese Erbe came through with two RBIs apiece with Mackenzie Joy and Galasso adding RBIs as well."We haven't been getting off to good starts and being 0-2 entering this game got me a little nervous, but our girls really focused, and overall we hit the ball very well today," said Marian coach Joe DeAngelo. "An offensive day like today is something we needed."Everybody got some hits and helped contribute, which is great to see from a young team."In the fifth, the Fillies put the game away with four more runs to end the game with the 10-rule run. They had four hits in the frame and got RBIs from Jade Ritsick and Joy.ON FIRE ... Reese Erbe was perfect at the plate on the day, going 4-for-4, including two triples and two RBIs. "I've been hitting the ball really well in practice the last two days and I carried that over to today," said Erbe. "We all hit the ball well today, and with important games on the schedule this week, we need to take the momentum we created today and bring it to those games."JOY TO THE MOUND ... After a tough first inning, Mackenzie Joy settled in, allowing just one run the rest of the way. She allowed just three hits after the first inning.Weatherly 501 00 - 6 5 1Marian 048 04 - 16 20 2Isom, Kane (4) and Frey; Joy and Wimmer. W-Joy L-Isom