It was an impressive week for the Emmaus softball team.

Since returning from their season-opening trip to Florida, the Lady Hornets have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 29-5, including an impressive 7-0 win over Central Bucks South, the defending state champions. Emmaus also notched a key 3-1 win over division foe Central Catholic this past week.

The win over C.B. South took Emmaus to a perfect 5-0 overall this season, while beating the Vikettes gave them a sweep of Allen, Dieruff and Central Catholic, the other teams in their division.

Pitching has been a huge storyline for Emmaus, just as it was last season. Juniors Olivia Marcks and Rachel Brown have been trading off starts and each has been punishing opponents. Marcks got the start against C.B. South and struck out 12 hitters. In her three starts this season, Marcks is 3-0 with a 0.44 ERA, while Brown is a perfect 2-0 in her starts with a 1.98 ERA. Opponents are hitting a combined .197 against the tandem this season.

"Our pitching has been very good, both Rachel and Olivia have been working hard and being able to alternate them between games has been a benefit," said coach John Eyer.

Eyer believes that the win over C.B. South did a lot to boost his team's confidence.

"We have struggled in the past with District 1 teams, so to be able to go down there and have the girls perform on the field and with the bats, was a huge confidence builder," said Eyer.

The Emmaus offense, which proved to be better than expected last season, is again providing some surprises. Claire Harris is leading the team in hitting with a .588 average, while Kayla Higley is right on her heels, hitting .545 on the season. Harris went deep in the LVC opener against Allen and Franni Schaeffer launched her first home run of the season in the win over the Vikettes.

Against C.B. South, Emmaus pounded out 11 hits, with Harris, Miryah Palko, Lizzy Natiello and Cassidy Sullivan each getting two hits apiece.

For Eyer, the fact that his team is good is no surprise, but the fact that they've been as good as they are is a bit of a pleasant surprise.

"We knew coming into this season that we had talent and depth. We still need to work on little things so they don't come up and bite us down the road. We also need to stay grounded and not become complacent," said Eyer. "Probably the biggest improvement is more consistency. Last year, we had only two seniors and a completely new outfield. This year, with returning five starting seniors and three starting juniors along with a sophomore at second base, we are stronger through the lineup and our defense has been working well together."

There's no rest for the Lady Hornets, who fact an undefeated Northampton team (6-0, 3-0) this week before matchups against Nazareth and Easton. Bethlehem Catholic is the only other undefeated team in the LVC, but the Hornets don't face them until later in the month.