A reshuffled but resilient AutoOne Midland Carine Cats outfit delivered two gutsy wins last night in a State League double-header that showed off the squad’s depth and grit – downing both Royals and Fremantle Mariners to stay firmly perched at the top of the ladder.

With a number of regulars unavailable, coaches Chris McCabe and Drew Herrington dug deep into the player pool, calling on Willetton’s Michelle “Chooky” Fitzgerald and Carine Division 1’s Courtney Dye, who both made serious statements in their appearances.

GAME 1: CATS OUTCLASS ROYALS 8-1

It was a textbook team performance against Royals, highlighted by dominant pitching from Ash Harwood, a power-packed return to State League by Dye, and big hits right through the lineup.

After two tight innings, the Cats burst to life. Dye opened the scoring with a booming centre-field shot that crashed into the back fence, followed by a cheeky slap hit from Dempsey Henderson, and a thunderous drive from Sara Riou. Then came Annaliese Daley with a towering triple to right field that brought in two RBIs and lit up the scoreboard.

Harwood kept Royals quiet until the fifth, while Carine piled on the runs, adding four more over the next two innings. Hits from Lauren Brown, Georgia McCabe, Fitzgerald, Riou, and Amy Mather kept the momentum rolling.

Harwood finished with 7 strikeouts, just 3 hits conceded, and zero walks – a masterclass in control.

Dye, in her first State League outing since her junior days, finished with multiple hits, a steal home, and earned the Whitfords Brewery $50 Player of the Game award.

“It’s been half a lifetime since I last played State League,” said Dye post-match. “The talk in the field was amazing and definitely helped settle the nerves.”

GAME 2: CATS EDGE MARINERS IN DRAMATIC FINISH

The second leg against the Mariners proved to be a rollercoaster.

Amy Mather took over pitching duties and held Freo to just a single run in the first. Carine responded emphatically with five runs, thanks to hits from Daley, and brilliant doubles to both Dye and Harwood.

The game tightened into a pitcher’s duel for the next few innings, with McCabe the only batter able to crack through to get on base. The Mariners clawed back, scoring twice in the fourth to bring the margin back to just one.

In what turned out to be Carine’s final at-bat McCabe, on base via hit-by-pitch, came around to score on a centre-field drive from Courtney Dye to extend the lead to a vital two runs.

Freo pushed hard in the final innings, closing the margin to just one before Carine were rocked by an injury to McCabe at catcher, as she hurt her ankle attempting a pop-fly catch against the fence. Liv Kuzminski was forced to enter the game amid a quick fielding shuffle, with the Cats needing one more out to seal the win. And seal it they did, in dramatic fashion, courtesy of a tag play at home to deny Mariners the tying run and seal a 6 to 5 victory!

McCabe’s consistent impact across both games — with hits, smart baserunning, and leadership in the field — earned her the Whitfords Brewery Player of the Game for Game 2.

TOP OF THE LADDER, BABY!

These back-to-back wins see the Cats consolidate their position atop the State League ladder as the second half of the season begins.

The reinforcements delivered. The regulars stepped up. The Cats culture shone through. Bring on next Thursday night, with another double-header against Thornlie Hawks and Bayswater Monarchs!