The Marlboro softball team had its best season since the Dukes won the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B championship in 2016 when they reached the state championship game.

Their season ended in the finals with a 7-1 loss to Section 2 champion Ichabod Crane, but the Dukes were rewarded with three selections to the New York State Sportswriters and Coaches Organization for Girls Sports Class B all-state teams.

Kalista Birkenstock, the team’s sparkplug at the top of the lineup and starting shortstop, was named a first-team all-star.

She hit .584, best on the team on the season, had 45 hits, including two doubles and four triples. She led the Dukes in two offensive categories with 36 runs scored and 42 stolen bases.

Leah Gunsett, in her first full season as the Dukes’ top pitcher, followed her predecessor’s lead by excelling both in the circle and at the plate on her way to a selection to the third team.

She posted a 17-3 record with five shutouts and a 1.62 ERA. She struck out 166 batters in 133.2 innings.
She also hit .333, including five doubles, one home run and 19 RBIs.

The team’s third baseman Ella Leduc, the Dukes’ only senior, was named a fourth-team all-star. Leduc hit .358 with five doubles, two home runs, 20 RBIs and 20 runs scored.

She also had some of the team’s biggest hits, delivering a walkoff base hit that lifted the Dukes to a 1-0 win in the NYSPHSAA regional semifinals on May 30.

Birkenstock had some local company on the first team as Highland pitcher sophomore Alexa Pavese was named to the first team, leading the Huskies to a resurgent season in which they posted a 14-5 record.