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LAWRENCE — The 1-2 punch Central Catholic has been unleashing on opponents has been lights out. Once against yesterday, junior Meg Donegan and sophomore Kayla Maloney dominated as the Raiders whipped Tewksbury, 6-2, to clinch a state tourney berth. Earlier in the season, the two pitchers alternated, each starting a game and pitching deep into contests. Now things have changed, and head coach Stacy Ciccolo is using her dynamic duo in a different way, often pitching each of them in the same game. “Now we’re splitting them a little bit just to get them work every day,” said Ciccolo, whose club improved to 11-1.      Donegan pitched the first four innings yesterday, allowing no hits and a walk while striking out five. Although she had the no-hitter, Donegan was relieved by Maloney. She pitched three innings of relief, allowing two runs and two hits while whiffing four. Both girls like the way things are going. “It makes it so the other team can’t really catch on to what we’re doing,” said Donegan, who plays soccer in the fall and was a standout in the shot put in winter track. “Its good for both of us.”   “It gives the batters two different looks,” said Maloney. Ciccolo is also pleased with the way the offense has come alive recently, putting up 15 runs in back-to-back games against Haverhill and Andover. Even the six runs yesterday is impressive as the Redmen had only been giving up 1.7 runs a game. “Tewksbury (now 12-4) is a quality team and we got six on them today, and Chelmsford is a good team and we got five on them,” Ciccolo said of Central Catholic’s last two wins. Central came out swinging right out of the gate, scoring three runs in the first inning, with Maloney, Corrine Gosselin, and Kelly Michal all picking up RBIs. Donegan helped herself by going 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Katie Kucharski provided one of Andover's few highlights in a 16-0, five-inning loss to Tewksbury, making an outstanding running catch in center field and throwing out a Redman runner at third base for a double play.

Central Catholic scored two runs in the seventh to nip Tewksbury 2-0 in an early-season Merrimack Valley Conference softball showdown. Kayla Maloney got the win, striking out 11 on a six-hitter, and Brianna Martin and Cassie Hebert had RBI singles in the seventh.