Story Photos
 LCC third baseman Hayley Ridout fires to first to beat the baserunner and end the third inning of the first game against Clark. Shortstop Jessi Hanna watches the play. Bill Wagner / The Daily News
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LCC sweeps, but still 'struggling'
Saturday, April 12, 2008 10:22 AM PDT
By Rick McCorkle
Printable version
E-mail this articleThe Lower Columbia College Lady Devils are still looking for the familiar swagger that has been their trademark in eight of the last nine championship seasons.
LCC had a combined 26 hits and plated 20 runs in Friday's NWAACC Southern Division doubleheader sweep of Clark at Tam O'Shanter Park, but Lady Devils coach Tim Mackin wasn't happy.
"Our hitting is sparse and we're struggling," he said. "We're six league games into the season and we have a long ways to go. We know we'll make the (NWAACC) tournament, and we want to gradually get better and not get a lot of injuries so we'll be peaking at that time."
The top-ranked Lady Devils rallied for nine runs in the fifth and sixth innings to claim the opener 10-7, and rolled to a 10-2 victory in the five-inning nightcap. LCC (16-4, 5-3 league) claimed their first doubleheader sweep of the league campaign after splitting with Mount Hood, Southwestern Oregon and Clackamas.
The setbacks dropped Clark to 7-15, 1-7 in league.
The Penguins belted a two-run homer in the first inning off LCC starter Kelsey Forrest, and grabbed a 5-0 lead in the top of the third with a three-run blast off reliever Tasia Trochim.
Forrest allowed two hits in two innings before leaving the game when she tweaked her ankle running to first base. Trochim gave up five hits, struck out five and walked four in three innings. Courtney Sherman tossed the final two innings and allowed a hit.
"We had our problems pitching," Mackin said. "They (the Penguins) got a couple of bleeders early, then we started throwing the ball down the middle when we were walking people and gave up some home runs. They don't feel comfortable right now, and we need to get them some innings so they can find their timing and can come in at any time."
Mark Morris High grad Bailee Mayer of Clark did a good job keeping the Lady Devils off-balance with a myriad of off-speed pitches that seldom touched 50 miles per hour. On numerous occasions, she baffled LCC with a change-up that barely reached 35.
"We absolutely weren't able to hit the ball," Mackin said. "When Clackamas faced Bailee Mayer, they bunted a lot because she doesn't throw that fast. We were trying to hit the ball and spent a lot of time popping it up. It's hard for us not to swing at the ball, because that's what we do."
After trailing 7-1 going into the bottom of the fifth inning, Mackin was ready to start playing small-ball when the Devils' bats came alive. Kayla Vickaryous beat out an infield single to open the inning, Samantha Petrich followed with a double to left field, and one out later Hayley Ridout walked to load the bases.
Camy Way looped a base hit to right field that scored Vickaryous and Petrich, and Kassandra Myers followed with a booming three-run home run that bounced off the scoreboard in left field.
"We were ready to start bunting and running to make things happen when we broke it open with some hits," Mackin said.
Trailing 7-5 in the sixth, Jessi Hanna stroked a leadoff double to left field, and Vickaryous, Carri O'Neil, Ridout, Way and Myers followed with base hits as LCC plated four runs for a 10-7 lead.
Sherman slammed the door in the seventh as she coaxed all three Clark batters to ground out to shortstop Hanna.
LCC finished with 16 hits. Myers had three, including the circuit blast, and knocked in four runs, Hanna had two doubles and scored twice, and Way had three hits and four RBIs. O'Neil had two hits and two RBIs, and Vickaryous had two hits and scored twice.
The Lady Devils wasted little time giving O'Neil all the run support she needed in the nightcap.
Hanna milked a leadoff walk to start the second game, stole second and third, and scampered home on a passed ball. The Devils pulled ahead 4-0 in the second, highlighted by an RBI single from Petrich and a two-run base hit from Ridout.
LCC broke the game open in the third with six runs, highlighted by a towering grand slam by Ridout that easily cleared the left-field wall.
O'Neil scattered four hits and struck out five. Both of Clark's runs in the fifth inning were the result of two LCC errors.
"I knew if we got by the first game we were going to be all right," Mackin said. "We planned to give Carri a day off and use her (today), but this was a short game and we'll still have her for a game against Mount Hood."
LCC tallied 10 hits as Ridout had two and finished with six RBIs. Hanna had two hits and scored three times, Way had two hits with a double, and Cheryl Waddell converted two walks into a pair of runs.
The Lady Devils entertain Mount Hood in a doubleheader at noon today at Tam O'Shanter Park.
GAME 1
Lady Devils 10, Penguins 7
Clark 203 200 0 - 7 9 1
Lower Col. 001 054 x - 10 16 1
Bailee Mayer and Lori Love; Kelsey Forrest, Tasia Trochim (3), Courtney Sherman (6) and Kassandra Myers.
GAME 2
Lady Devils 10, Penguins 2
Clark 000 02 - 2 4 3
Lower Col. 136 0x - 10 10 3
Catherine Martinez, Kori Miller (4) and Kellie Preheim; Carri O'Neil and Kassandra Myers.
35 - 50 MPH? wrote on Apr 16, 2008 2:11 PM:
Yes, good for Bailee…she did a bang up job and had dang near pitched a shut out until about the sixth or seventh inning. In fact, she stuck out two of LCCs top hitters. Which I don’t see mentioned in this article.
Also, I don't recall seeing anyone there with the equipment to capture the speed of any of the pitches being thrown during that particular match-up. Further, and I'm not an expert, but I do not recall Clark's pitcher ever throwing a change-up during her stint on the mound.
"We absolutely weren't able to hit the ball," Mackin said.
...and isn't that the object of the game?
"
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