It was a cold day, but the Marlboro softball bats were hot.

The pitching was even hotter.

Leah Gunsett was hotter still, throwing seven shutout innings of three-hit ball, striking out 13. She also had three hits, including a double and an RBI in the Dukes’ 8-0 win over the Rondout Valley Ganders on April 18 at Marlboro High School.

“She’s what I’ve seen every game this year, even the one she’s lost,” Marlboro coach Ray Leduc said. “She’s pitched amazingly well, and we’ve just got to keep putting up runs for her because she’s going to hold teams to very few runs.”

She also helped produce runs.

She contributed to the Dukes’ two-run first inning with a booming RBI double to right field for Marlboro’s second run of the inning. She immediately followed her batterymate Emma Jackson’s RBI single.

“They’re playing well,” Leduc said. “After early in the year, the younger girls are starting to come around. The pitching and defense has always been there. It’s just putting runs on the board, and we’ve been working on that. Today was a nice day, and we got some runs and took a little pressure off Leah.”

Gunsett also helped take the pressure off herself with her bat. After her first-inning run-scoring double, she started the Dukes’ four-run fourth inning with a base hit before giving way to courtesy runner Kaitlyn Thorne, who stole second and scored on Taylor Castellani’s single to left field.

Kaitlyn Gordon singled and stole second to put runners on second and third, setting up a bunt by Madison Gibney. She bunted the ball back to Rondout pitcher Ella Bennett, who decided to go home, but was unable to get Castellani at home, and then a throwing error brought Gordon around to score.

Kalista Birkenstock chased Gibney home with an infield single.

“It picks them up,” Leduc said. “It just gets everybody going. It gets the dugout hyped and it makes them want to get more versus coming in and having one or maybe no runs and makes it a long game.”

The Dukes added two more runs in the seventh sixth inning, when Lily Sullivan reached on an error by Rondout Valley left fielder Morgan Barcone.

This game was originally scheduled for the previous day; but the rain that fell pushed it back, setting up games on three straight days for the Dukes, who returned to their home field on Wednesday to host the Wallkill Panthers, a game they won, 4-0.

Emily Tarsio threw six shutout innings for the win with five strikeouts. Jackson had two hits and two runs scored, while Castellani had two hits and an RBI. Birkenstock had two hits and a stolen base, while Gunsett had a hit and drove in a run. Gibney doubled, walked and drove in a run.

They finished the week on the road and posted a 14-8 win over the Presidents. Birkenstock had four hits, including a triple, four runs scored and an RBI. Jackson had three hits, including a double and five RBIs. Castellani had two hits, including a home run and three RBIs.

“It can be good and bad,” Leduc said. “After a day like today, now they’re excited to come back tomorrow, but by Thursday we’re going to be a little tired. I think it’s going to wear on them, but we’ll take that on when it comes.”