Lutheran Northwest capitalizes in ninth inning to top Country Day, 5-4

By JAKE THIELEN
@MIPrepZone

BEVERLY HILLS – Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest scored the eventual winning run in the top of the ninth inning, and the Crusaders held on to earn a 5-4 win against Birmingham Detroit Country Day in softball Tuesday afternoon at Country Day.

Lutheran Northwest and Country Day were tied 3-3 after seven regulation innings, and each team scored a run in the eighth inning to further extend the game.

With the International Tie Breaker rule in effect, Lutheran Northwest began the top of the ninth with a runner on second base. The Crusaders’ Rebecca Oleskie led off the inning with a bunt, and an errant throw allowed the runner to score and give Lutheran Northwest a 5-4 lead.

Pitcher Madison Macy allowed a one-out walk to Country Day in the bottom of the ninth, but she was able to escape trouble. Macy induced a groundball for the second out, and she got the next Yellowjacket hitter to fly out to right field to end the game.

Macy threw all nine innings to earn the win, and the sophomore finished the game with 17 strikeouts.

Lutheran Northwest coach Jeff Ludwig praised Macy’s demeanor on the mound in the victory.

“In that last inning, (Macy) jammed her ankle sliding into third, and we were worried whether she would be able to come out (to pitch,)” Ludwig said. “But she’s a fighter and a battler. She might be a sophomore by grade, but she pitches like a senior, and we rally around her. She puts the team on her back.”

Ludwig said playing a talented team like Country Day was a challenge that his team was looking forward to facing.

“We’ve been playing some games recently where were we’ve been racking up lots of runs, but really haven’t been getting pushed,” Ludwig said. “We got pushed today, and the girls rose to the occasion.

We had to fight through some adversity with an injury (to infielder Sara Seemann) and they just found a way to will themselves to victory today.”

Despite striking out 20 times against Country Day pitcher Jacqueline Spizizen, the Crusaders were able to find some offense at crucial times during the game. Lutheran Northwest scored three times in the fourth inning, turning what had been a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead.

Macy led off the inning with a single, and Rebecca Johnstone followed with a bunt single of her own.

Three batters later, Grace VanDellen drove in both runners with a single, and Brynn Cudney followed with another single that scored VanDellen.

Country Day tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to back-to-back doubles from Spizizen and Jessica Garmen. The Yellowjackets’ earlier run came courtesy of the first career home run by senior Brooke Reiter in the third inning.

Yellowjacket coach John Meyers said the home run was a special moment for Reiter.

“(Reiter’s) a great kid, one of our captains, and she’s our only senior,” Meyers said. “She puts her heart into everything, and she’s a great teammate. It was nice to see her hard work pay off.”

Last Updated: 5/17/2016 10:46:01 PM EST

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Clarkston uses a consistent offensive attack to power past Adams

By JAKE THIELEN
@MIPrepZone

ROCHESTER HILLS – Clarkston scored in each of the first four innings as the Wolves were able to build an early lead and hold on for an 8-3 win over Rochester Adams in an Oakland Activities Association Red Division softball game Thursday night.

Sophomore Hannah Chadwell was the catalyst early in the game for the Clarkston offense. Chadwell followed a Abby Skvarce double with a RBI single in the first inning, and in her next at-bat in the third inning, she hit a solo home run to left field to give the Wolves a 3-0 lead.

Rochester Adams (6-15) cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third thanks to a RBI single from Lisa Cicatello, but Clarkston (19-6) answered right back. Senior Mariah Hood drove in a pair of runs with a single in the fourth inning, and Skvarce followed with another double to put Clarkston up 6-1.

Clarkston coach Don Peters said a combination of timely hitting and solid defense allowed his team to find success in the first few innings.

“You like to have two or three runs early, so the pitchers can settle down and the team can relax,” Peters said. “(Chadwell) hammered the ball too.”

The Wolves led 8-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but Adams refused to go away quietly. The Highlanders opened the inning with a single and a walk, and they scored a run on a fielder’s choice to trim the deficit to 8-3. However, Clarkston freshman pitcher Sarah Kuenzel recovered to end the game by inducing a groundout to third base.

Chadwell finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Skvarce was 3-for-4 with a RBI. Pitchers Hailey Minton, Sarah Gladding and Kuenzel combined to allow just six hits to Adams.

Rochester Adams coach Fran Scislowicz said he was impressed by the way the Highlanders played with heart and desire throughout the game.

“We’re a little overmatched sometimes in the Red Division, but we continue to compete,” Scislowicz said. “(Clarkston) is a very good hitting team, and they got one each inning at the beginning against us. But we got it to 3-1, and I thought the seventh inning was good for us because we got some people on base.”

Ashley Bomireto threw a complete game for Adams, with four strikeouts, and helped her own cause with a RBI at the plate.

The game was scheduled as part of a doubleheader, but the second game was called in the first inning due to inclement weather. A makeup date for the second game has not yet been determined.

Last Updated: 5/12/2016 10:08:51 PM EST

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