Howard County high school sports Team of the Week and game balls for March 18-23

Mar. 26—By Jacob Steinberg — jsteinberg@baltsun.com

March 26, 2024 at 12:55 p.m.

Each week, the Howard County Times will pick a Team of the Week and hand out five game balls to the top performers through all sports across the county.

Team of the Week

Long Reach softball: The Lightning offense exploded for 38 runs in their first two games with lopsided victories over Wilde Lake and Atholton.

Honorable Mention

Centennial softball: The young Eagles started out the season strong with wins over Howard and Wilde Lake, including a 24-run performance against the Wildecats.

Game Ball No. 1

Katie Leader, Marriotts Ridge, girls lacrosse, freshman

Leader shined in her first two varsity games for the Mustangs. She began the season with a hat trick against Centennial and added a team-high five goals and an assist in a win over Catonsville.

Game Ball No. 2

Maddie Reese, Centennial, softball, sophomore

Reese had two hits in the season-opening win over Howard and had a bases-clearing triple in a commanding win over Wilde Lake.

Game Ball No. 3

Henry Zatkowski, River Hill, baseball, senior

Zatkowski continued his dominance from the past few seasons. He pitched a complete game gem in a season-opening win over Atholton with 16 strikeouts and just two hits allowed.

Game Ball No. 4

Jack Nataro, Reservoir, boys lacrosse, junior

Stepping into an increased role, Nataro dominated in a 14-2 win over Long Reach. He excelled as a goal scorer and facilitator, finishing with a game-high seven points (three goals, four assists).

Game Ball No. 5

Noah Murdock, Long Reach, baseball, junior

Murdock shined at the plate in the season opener against Wilde Lake finishing 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Long Reach's ace pitched five innings and struck out six in a win over Atholton, also contributing two hits and an RBI.

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