Big hit lifts CHS Softball

May 6, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/Frontiersman

WASILLA - Timing is everything.

Colony catcher Kelsey Stein hit a game-winning, inside-the-park grand slam to lift the Knights to a dramatic 5-4 win Friday over the Lathrop Malemutes at the Bumpus Softball Complex in Wasilla.

&#8220Oh, man, it couldn't have been any better at the end,” Colony coach Mike Stewart said following Colony's victory.

Stein's heroics came after Colony loaded the bases with one out in the sixth inning and the Knights trailing 4-1.

Second baseman Dani Buckley started the rally with a single, which was promptly followed by singles from shortstop Desi Diselrod and pitcher Michelle Stratton.

Stein then calmly ripped Lathrop pitcher Ilaura Reeves' offering down the left field line. Once ball got past Lathrop's left fielder, Reeves was off to the races.

&#8220That was huge,” Stewart said.

Aided by an unassisted double play by Diselrod in the top of the inning, Stratton was able to shut down Lathrop to secure the win.

Stratton overcame a shaky start to dominate Lathrop's lineup through much of the game. The Lady Malemutes scored three runs in the first inning, then didn't get another base runner until the fifth as Stratton retired 11 consecutive hitters. She finished the game with five strikeouts while allowing only five hits over seven innings.

Stewart said he was happy with how his pitcher was able to stay focused after some early struggles.

&#8220They were a good hitting team,” Stewart said. &#8220She's tough.”

North Pole 11, Colony 2

Colony made five errors through the first five innings as North Pole cruised to an 11-2 win Saturday morning in

Wasilla.

Lindsey Haralson and Ashley Placzek each scored runs for the Knights in Saturday's loss.

Forced to shuffle its lineup because shortstop Desi Diselrod was taking her SAT test, Colony could never get things going against the high-powered Patriots, who swept all three Mat-Su teams by a combined score of 28-4 over the weekend.

North Pole 11, Palmer 1

North Pole took advantage of nine walks and 12 errors as the Patriots ran away with an 11-1 win over the Moose on Saturday.

Palmer pitcher Geneva Ratcliff allowed just three hits while striking out six, but the junior hurler also walked nine North Pole batters.

Kristina Richardson scored the lone Moose run on the afternoon.

Lathrop 5, Palmer 2

Geneva Ratcliff struck out 11 Lathrop batters but was stung by a four-run fifth inning that lifted the Lady Malemutes to a 5-2 win Friday at Bumpus Softball Complex in Wasilla.

Ratcliff dominated the early stages of the game, striking out the side in the first two innings. She didn't allow a hit until the third inning, and only gave up five hits - all singles - in the game.

But Ratcliff's control waned in the later innings, and Lathrop took advantage of some poor Palmer defense to earn the victory.

&#8220It's a work in progress,” Palmer coach Joann Frohling said following the game.

Palmer took the early lead on Ratcliff's RBI double to score shortstop Kristina Richardson in the bottom of the first inning.

The Moose remained in front until the fourth, when Lathrop manufactured a run with a single, stolen base, wild pitch and single to tie things up at 1-1.

The Lady Malemutes blew things open in the fifth inning, scoring four runs on just two singles. Palmer had two errors in the inning, while Ratcliff allowed three walks and threw three wild pitches.

The Moose got one run in the bottom of the sixth when third baseman Haley Brown scored on Richardson's RBI single. But any hopes of a Palmer rally were put to rest when Ratcliff followed Richardson by lining into a double play. Lathrop pitcher Ilaura Reeves then calmly picked up her sixth strikeout to end the game. Frohling said Friday's game showed that her young team - 12 of Palmer's 17 players are freshmen - needs to get better defensively.

&#8220We need to cut down on the errors,” Frohling said.

Wasilla 6, Lathrop 1

Wasilla pitcher Anne Wesser was dominant Saturday afternoon, striking out 10 Lathrop batters and allowing just one hit over five innings as the Warriors salvaged a weekend split with a 6-1 win over the Lady Malemutes.

Catcher Jordan Elkins, third baseman Zandra Christensen-Vavallis and second baseman Samantha Porreca each scored twice for the Warriors.

&#8220We finally got our offense going today,” Wasilla coach Sue Allen said.

The big story, however, was Wesser.

&#8220She's our bread and butter,” Allen said.

Allen said having a pitcher of Wesser's caliber makes coaching that much easier.

&#8220Anne holds us in every ballgame,” Allen said.

Against Lathrop, Wasilla scored three times in each of the first two innings, then let their ace do the rest. Lathrop rarely challenged Wesser, and more often than not ended up flailing at air as batter after batter went down.

&#8220She's very difficult to hit,” Allen said.

North Pole 6, Wasilla 1

Catcher Jordan Elkins scored the lone Warrior run in a 6-1 defeat at the hands of North Pole Friday night at the Bumpus Softball Complex in Wasilla.

Wasilla coach Sue Allen said the game was a case of Wasilla beating itself. North Pole scored six runs despite rarely getting the ball out of the infield against pitcher Anne Wesser.

&#8220They only had one solid hit all night,” Allen said.

Unfortunately for Wasilla, that one hit was a three-run inside-the-park home run by North Pole first baseman Nicole Charlstron to put the game out of reach.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com