LOWELL – First the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins ? and now St. Mary’s and Austin Prep.Summer’s here ? and the time is right for rematches.The St. Mary’s softball team earned the right to defend its Division 3 North title Thursday with a resounding 12-0 win over Marian at Martin Field in Lowell. The final will be against the team the Spartans defeated last year, Austin Prep, on Saturday, at Martin Field, at a time to be determined.”I can’t wait,” said junior second baseman Kristina Burri, one of several Spartans who played key roles in the win.Burri played her part as the leadoff hitter to perfection Thursday, getting three hits, knocking in three runs, scoring four, and running the bases like a seasoned veteran.Burri couldn’t buy a hit in the team’s first two tournament wins, even though she hit the ball hard. She picked up a couple, however, Tuesday against Ipswich and stung the ball all five times she got up against Marian.”Coach (Colleen) Newbury has been working hard with us on our hitting,” said Burri, “and it’s been good for me.”As was the case with their win over Lowell Catholic last week, the Spartans took two innings to find the range against Marian’s Kelianne Kirby. But once they did, they were virtually unstoppable, banging out 14 hits overall.”She (Kirby) is a good pitcher, too, which is what I’m happy about,” said Newbury. “She mixes it up, in and out, up and down, and she’s tough.”Lost in the offensive onslaught was the pitching of sophomore Vanessa LaFauci, who had a perfect game through four innings before Nicole Supple led off the fifth by just barely beating out an infield hit to deep short. Newbury, who has been pitching LaFauci through four innings and then bringing in Sam Kiley in relief, let her starter stay in an extra inning.”Considering the score (7-0 by that point) and the situation, I thought we should,” said Newbury. “But Sam was ready.”Kiley did pitch the final two innings.Offensively, Erin McAndrews, who continues to stand out in the clutch in this tournament, knocked in the only runs the Spartans would need with a two-run single in the third inning. For the second straight game, Brittany Hanscom (two singles and a walk) led off the inning with a base hit up the middle, and took second when the ball dribbled past the centerfielder.Burri singled her over to third, and then kept running to second, trying to get into a rundown that would allow Hanscom to score. When the Mustangs didn’t bite, she waltzed into second.Maria Nazzaro lined out to second, but McAndrews, who has lived on opposite-field hits since the tournament began, punched another one into right field, scoring both runs. Michelle Macchione, pinch-running for her, scored moments later on Kristen Mondello’s base hit.St. Mary’s tacked on two more runs in the fourth when Brittany Holmes doubled and came around when Jenna Fraher reached on an error. Chelsey Paone, pinch-running for Holmes, scored on Burri’s double.Holmes got into the act again in the fifth with a two-run single that made it 7-0. St. Mary’s scored three more runs in the sixth and tacked on another two in the seventh.This is the eighth time since 2000 that the Spartans have made the Division 3 North final. They’ve won the championship twice – in 2003, and last year.