Lady Devils split twinbill with Mount Hood
Saturday, May 10, 2008 11:31 PM PDT
By Rick McCorkle
Printable version
E-mail this articleTimely hitting at the bottom of the batting order is essential for teams to score runs consistently.
Lower Columbia College’s fifth- through ninth-place hitters managed one hit and struck out six times in 14 at-bats in the opening game of Saturday’s NWAACC Southern Division softball doubleheader with Mount Hood at Tam O’Shanter Park.
The anemic bottom-of-the-order hitting resulted in a 6-2 loss, but those same hitters came alive in the nightcap for five hits in 14 at-bats as LCC cruised to a 6-3 victory.
“We’re peaking in other areas, but we have to hit at the bottom of the order as we head into the postseason,” LCC coach Tim Mackin said. “If those hitters don’t get their hits, then we won’t score a lot of runs because they set up the top of the order to drive them in. We can’t rely on the top of the order to score all of the runs.”
LCC (39-8, 23-7 league) plays either Wenatchee Valley, Spokane or Walla Walla in the opening round of the NWAACC Softball Championships at 11:30 a.m. Friday at Portland’s Delta Park. Mount Hood (38-7, 26-4 league) claimed the Southern Division title and plays Blue Mountain in the tournament’s opening round on Friday.
Devils pitcher Carri O’Neil tossed a six-hitter and struck out seven in the opener, but four of Hood’s hits were home runs, which accounted for all of its runs. Saints third baseman Kathy Cox, who will play at Boise State next season on a full-ride scholarship, belted solo homers in the first and fourth innings.
“Carri had one of those days where she gave up a few pitches that she wished she had back,” Mackin said. “They have some good hitters, and Cox isn’t going to Boise State on a full-ride for nothing.”
Samantha Petrich, who had three of LCC’s hits, answered the first inning round-tripper from Cox with a solo shot of her own in the bottom of the first. Hood stretched its lead to 5-1 in the top of the sixth after Cox’s second solo blast, and Brittani Martin belted a three-run shot that sailed over the scoreboard in left field.
LCC added a run in the bottom of the sixth when Petrich and Camy Way each doubled, but Hood added an insurance tally in the seventh on a solo blast to left-center field from Bryttny Kreshka.
Hood pitcher Lauren Hadenfeld scattered six hits and struck out eight in the victory. Hadenfeld did a good job keeping the LCC hitters off-balance by painting the outside corners of the plate with a variety of pitches.
In the nightcap, LCC pitcher Tasia Trochim took a no-hitter into the sixth inning when Saints catcher Chanie Norbury belted a solo homer to dead-center field. Trochim, who worked herself in and out of several jams, scattered six hits, struck out seven and walked six in the victory.
“Tasia’s effort of taking a no-hitter into the sixth was huge,” Mackin said. “She did a great job, but got herself into a little trouble with walks. She gets into trouble, but she’s also good about getting herself out of jams.”
LCC jumped on the Saints for three runs in the first inning, highlighted by singles from Petrich and Way, and two Hood errors. The Saints scored solo tallies in the third and fourth innings, but LCC answered with runs in the bottom of each frame to hold a 5-2 lead.
Hayley Ridout slapped a two-out RBI single to left field that scored Jessi Hanna in the third, and Kassandra Myers crushed the second pitch of the fourth inning over the left-center field fence.
Myers added an RBI single in the fifth inning, and Hood countered with solo scores in the sixth and seventh, with a Norbury blast in the sixth and a Cox bomb in the seventh.
LCC’s bottom of the order had five of the Devils’ eight hits. Myers and Forrest had two apiece.
“Bottom-of-the-order hitting is going to make or break us at the tournament,” Mackin added. “We know we can stay with the other teams, but we have to have the bats throughout the lineup when we face either Mount Hood or Clackamas.”
Ron Brekke wrote on May 11, 2008 9:28 AM:
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