ADAMSTWP— In terms of the Section 5-AAArace, Mars faced a nearly must-win Tuesday afternoon.

A pair of two-out RBIhits by senior Emma Wharrey gave the Planets the lead and Mars held off a seventh-inning Knoch rally for a 3-2 girls softball victory.

A loss would have dropped the Planets two games behind the Knights and possibly Hampton in the section race.

"Yeah, we definitely had to have this one,"Mars coach Michele Goodworth said.

Wharrey made sure they got it.

Mars' Brittany Berkopec delivered a one-out double in the second inning and moved to third on a bloop single by Kaitlyn Cubarney.

Kayla Durkin hit a ground ball to Knoch's Amanda Sheppeck. The third baseman alertly wheeled and fired to shortstop Kirsten Brandt, who tagged out Berkopec before she could get back to third.

Wharrey made that play go for naught when she drilled a two-run double to deep left field.

With two outs and Berkopec at second in the fourth inning, Wharrey singled sharply up the middle to give the Planets a 3-0 lead.

"That (double) was the hit of the game,"Goodworth said. "Emma delivered when we needed her to. We needed every run we could get."

Wharrey didn't play last week because of illness. Normally a first baseman, she was the designated hitter Tuesday. Wharrey entered the game with one hit in five at-bats this season.

"Our team likes to relax and have fun on the field,"Wharrey said. "I hit better when I'm relaxed in there."

Mars' Monica Glomb struck out 12 and did not walk a batter. Knoch didn't get a runner to second until the fifth inning, when Stephanie Fincher singled and courtesy runner Justine Rich stole second and third.

Glomb struck out the side to avoid any damage, however.

"Twelve strikeouts is too many,"Knoch coach Scott Docherty said. "We have to put the bat on the ball."

The Knights did so in the seventh and nearly tied the game. Chelsea Martin singled to right and Brandt was hit by a pitch to start the frame.

Fincher flied out to right, allowing the runners to move up. With two outs, Jade Thrower blooped a single to left, scoring both runners. Thrower tried getting into second on the throw to the plate, but Berkopec threw her out to end the game.

"Monica hadn't pitched since last Wednesday. She hardly ever hits a batter," Goodworth said. "We lost some concentration there in the seventh.

Glomb had only one strikeout in the final two innings.

"We play them two more times and we can't wait,"Docherty said. "And they still have to come to our place."

Knoch 000 000 2—2 4 2Mars 020 100 x—3 6 0WP: Monica Glomb (7 IP) 12 strikeouts, 0 walks.

LP: Stephanie Fincher (6 IP) 4 strikeouts, 1 walk

Knoch (5-2, 3-2): Chelsea Martin 1B, Kirsten Brandt 1B, Stephanie Fincher 1B, Jade Thrower 1B 2-RBI

Mars (4-2, 3-2): Jaime Fionna 1B, Brittany Berkopec 2B 1B 2-R, Kaitlyn Cubarney 1B, Emma Wharrey 2B 1B 3-RBI

Thursday: Knoch atHampton, Kittanning atMars