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The
Official Newspaper of Anamosa, located in Jones County, Iowa
Anamosa News
Since 1855
 Thursday,
July 27, 2006 |
Raiders rally at regionals
By
Daryl Schepanski - Sports Editor |
ANAMOSA — Even if Raider softball coach Gary Stamp had scripted the first pitch of the class 3A regional quarter-final Wednesday, July 19, as his team hosted Central DeWitt, it couldn’t have gone any better.
Then, after six breathless innings of softball, it couldn’t have ended any better either for Anamosa as the Raiders pulled out a thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 victory.
“This was one of those games I had a feeling the longer we hung around the better shot we had at pulling out a win,” said Stamp as his club rallied scoring three runs in the seventh inning to post the one-run victory. “We had an incredible start to the game and then an incredible finish.”
Stepping into the batters box facing the first pitch of the contest from Saber hurler Aubrey Trimble, Raider lead-off hitter Paige Goetz launched the softball over the left-field fence handing his team not only a quick 1-0 lead, but huge dose of confidence.
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Amazing start
Anamosa freshman Paige Goetz is congratulated by teammates as fans applaud in the background after blasting the first pitch of the class 3A regional quarter-final against Central DeWitt Wednesday, July 19, over the fence for a solo home run giving her team a 1-0 lead. The Raiders went on to rally for a thrilling 4-3 triumph scoring three runs in the top of the seventh to win. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
First swing homer
Raider freshman Paige Goetz starts the softball on its journey over the left field fence to begin the class 3A regional quarter-final hosting Central DeWitt Wednesday, July 19. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
“I’m not sure, but in all my years of coaching baseball and softball, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a batter step in and hit the very first pitch of the game for a home run,” said Stamp.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start. That hit gave us exactly what we needed as far as confidence goes. I think the girls knew right away that we could play with DeWitt.”
The Sabers wasted little time in answering as the hosts on the scoreboard, but the visitors from DeWitt scored their own first inning run to knot the score when Megan Machovec crossed the plate on an RBI ground out off the bat of Erin Schlofeldt.
Central DeWitt scored again in the second inning as an error, a wild pitch and a passed ball led to another Saber scoring.
“The second inning saw one of the biggest plays of the game for us,” said Stamp. “Emily grabbed a line-drive in center field and fired home getting a runner tagging off third base and completed the double play.”
The Sabers scored again in the fourth as a passed ball allowed Cody Meier to cross the plate. |
“We didn’t make many mistakes in this game but the ones we did make seemed to hurt us,” said Stamp. “But we made sure they didn’t end our season though.”
Central DeWitt put runners on base in the fifth and sixth innings but Anamosa pitcher Mallory Lacy worked out of trouble in both frames giving her team a chance in the seventh and final frame.
“We had lost so many leads in the sixth and seventh innings this season but had also come back and won a few late as well,” said Stamp. “I was hoping we had one more rally left in us to save our season.”
His team did.
Maisie Timp opened the final frame for the visitors on the scoreboard with a lead-off walk and Cammy Dole followed with a single just out of the reach of Saber shortstop Machovec.
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Flip to first
Raider freshman Mallory Lacy flips the ball to first base for an out during Anamosa’s thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 class 3A regional quarter-final triumph hosting Central DeWitt Wednesday, July 19. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
After a Goetz ground out to Machovec advanced Timp and Dole up a base, Timp scored the first run of the frame and trimmed the Central DeWitt lead to 3-2 thanks to a wild pitch.
“Another big factor in the game was when DeWitt changed their pitcher there in the seventh inning,” said Stamp. “Things just seemed to roll for us once that happened.”
Saber pitcher Breanna Ketelsen entered the game after Trimble issued a walk to Sara Schultejans which put the go-ahead run on base with one out.
Jansen hit a grounder back to Ketelsen who fired to first but on the play Dole scored the game-tying run.
“I’m not sure why she threw to first on that play but we’ll take it,” said Stamp. “She probably could have had Cammy dead to rights at the plate but just coming into the game in that kind of pressure situation, maybe she just wasn’t quite all mentally tuned in yet and we took advantage.”
Anamosa wasn’t done yet as Traci Dirks drilled a two-out single that scored Schultejans with the go-ahead run.
“The girls stepped up and produced some very big hits right when we needed them,” said Stamp. “After all the late inning losses we’ve had this year to come back and get a late-inning win in this environment was huge for us.”
Lacy opened the bottom of the seventh facing the Sabers’ power hitter in Schlofeldt and coaxed the all-state star into a lead-off pop up to Dole.
“She went and chased a high pitch from Mallory and we got a huge first out,” said Stamp. “That was another key to the win.”
Lacy then fanned Trimble as a check-swing third strike call was made by the base umpire.
After Saber Traci Lerch grounded the Goetz to end the game, the Raiders had their amazing class 3A regional quarter-final triumph.
“This was one of our best played games of the year,” said Stamp. “This one rates right up there with our wins over Monticello, Ed-Co and North Cedar.”
Goetz led the offense with two huge hits guiding an eight-hit offense.
“We had chances to score in just about every inning,” said Stamp as the Raiders put runners on base in the first, second, third, fourth, sixth and seventh frames. “A few times we were a hit away from scoring but for the most part we did a good job of taking advantage of the opportunities we had.”
Lacy, just a freshman, tossed a solid game in the pitchers’ circle looking like a seasoned veteran of regional softball wars.
“Mallory just keeps getting better and better and our defense played well behind her making just one error too,” said Stamp. “That was yet another key to the win.”
Lacy fanned an impressive eight Saber batters and allowed six hits in her seven innings of work.
The win advanced Anamosa to the class 3A regional semi-final at No. 2 ranked West Delaware Saturday, July 22, where the Raiders had their regional run and season ended in an 11-0 final.
“We had two really good practices coming into this game on Thursday and Friday and the girls seemed very focused on the bus on the way up to Manchester too,” said Stamp. “But when we don’t get a hit and give up four errors and walk six batters and they get 10 hits, against the No.
2 ranked team in the state it’s not going to be a pretty outcome.”
After a scoreless first frame, the Hawks, entering the game with a 45-6 record, scored three times in the second stanza and then after adding a single run in the fourth, began pulling away from the scrappy Anamosa team adding a three-run fifth to take a 7-0 advantage.
“Three of their first four runs were unearned,” said Stamp. “Not a great way to start. Mallory deserved better but she just couldn’t get the calls.”
Leading 8-0 entering the seventh, the Hawks tacked on three more runs to close out the regionals semi-final rout.
West Delaware pitchers held Raider bats hitless as only Chelsey Bildstein and Dirks worked their way on base with a hit by pitch and walk, respectively.
Lacy worked all seven frames in the pitchers’ circle fanning five.
The Raider softball team closes the 2006 summer with an 18-31 record overall. |
Lions claim district softball title
By
Daryl Schepanski - Sports Editor |
CALAMUS — Little did the the 2006 Olin softball team know at the start of the summer that they would end it going down in the school’s history books.
“We made history Wednesday night,” said Lion softball coach Blake Reid after his club posted Olin’s first district softball title since 1985 after a huge 9-4 triumph at Calamus-Wheatland in a class 1A battle against the host Warriors Wednesday, July 19. “The girls wanted this game and were willing to do whatever it took to get the job done.
This is huge for this team and this program. To do something that hasn’t been accomplished here in more than 20 years says a lot for the kind of quality softball players we have on this team.”
Olin wasted no time in making a statement against a very talented Calamus-Wheatland squad, plating four first inning runs in the pressure-filled 1A district final contest.
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Battle of the Lions
Olin pitcher Makenzie Ginn fires to first for an out while teammate Kelli Bean and Lisbon head coach Bob Bunting watch during Olin’s 5-0 class 1A regional semi-final setback in Calamus Monday, July 24. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
Setting the table
Lion Liz Groth ropes a hit during Olin’s 5-0 regional semi-final loss against Lisbon Monday, July 24, in Calamus. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
Liz Groth opened the game with a single and Kalli Hansen followed with another.
Groth crossed the plate on a wild pitch and Hansen and Makenzie Ginn, who had walked, scored when Christina Greene drilled a two-run single. Kayla James reached on a dropped third strike that allowed Stolte, who had ripped a single to get on, to cross the plate completing the four-run opening frame.
“That was big for us to jump out right away and get some runs for Makenzie who was throwing against one of the better offenses around,” said Reid. “Then when we held them scoreless in the bottom of the first, the confidence was sky high.”
Danielle Frederick drove home Laura Husmann in the second inning giving the Lions a 5-0 lead then after Husmann, Groth and Frederick all scored on a mammoth three-run double by Hansen, Olin had a commanding 8-0 lead after four frames.
“Our offense got going full force against Andrew at the end of the regular season and it hasn’t slowed down since,” said Reid.
“Against a team like Cal-Wheat, you need all the runs you can get.”
The Warriors answered Olin’s three-run fourth with one of the own in the bottom half of the frame closing to within 8-3, but the five-run deficit would be as close as Calamus-Wheatland would get.
The Lions scored in the top of the seventh when a Ginn fielders choice plated Hansen, who had tripled. |
“Our left side defense played great,” said Reid. “They got a lot of action and made most of the plays and kept a Cal-Wheat team that had 13 hits, from scoring more than four runs. Kalli and Kelli played great and Laura out in left did a nice job too. This was another total team win all the way around.”
The Warriors scored in only the fourth (three runs) and seventh (one run) but had hits in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and seventh innings.
“There probably aren’t too many times when a team gets 13 hits and scores only four runs,” said Reid. “But with the way our defense was playing, we made it happen in one of the biggest games an Olin softball team has played in a long, long time.”
Olin’s offense managed eight hits of their own led by Hansen who ripped a single, double and a triple while scoring two runs and driving home three more. Groth, Frederick, Stolte, Greene and Husmann all added hits.
Ginn worked all seven frames in the pitchers’ circle allowing four earned runs and fanned one.
“We are playing our best softball of the season right now,” said Reid. “Our mental game as well as our physical game is very strong.”
The district title advanced Olin to the class 1A regional round where they faced another Big East rival in Lisbon just a pair of wins away from a state tournament berth Monday, July 24.
“We had played Lisbon tough in the regular season so we knew we could play with them and with our confidence at an all-time high, this was the perfect time for us to make a statement,” said Reid. “But it just didn’t work out for us in the end.”
Olin was handed a 5-0 1A regional semi-final defeat at the hands of Lisbon’s Lions and with it their remarkable run was over.
“I guess the third time trying to get this game in wasn’t the charm for us,” said Reid as the Lions contest was postponed twice by rain Friday, July 21, and Saturday, July 22. “It’s tough to mentally get up for a game three different times and have it called time and again. But we can’t use that as an excuse, Lisbon had to do the same thing.”
While Olin was shutout on the scoreboard, the Lion offense was still impressive out-hitting Lisbon 8-6.
“We hit Morningstar and hit her hard,” said Reid. “We just couldn’t take advantage of all the base-runners because of numerous base-running mistakes.”
Olin had runners thrown out at second, third or home on four different occasions with each one ending possible rallies.
“Those were killers,” said Reid. “Lisbon made as many errors as we did, but they didn’t make as many base-running mistakes and also took advantage of the opportunities they had with some big hits. We didn’t get those big hits with runners in scoring position.”
Lisbon scored a first inning run and held the advantage until the fourth when they plated two more.
The visiting Lions on the scoreboard added another run in the fifth and closed out the shutout triumph with a single run in the seventh to seal the 5-0 win.
“If we could have broken through with a big hit, this could have been a much different outcome,” said Reid. “That just didn’t happen though. Lisbon forced the action and made the plays, mainly on the offensive end. They deserved to move on.”
Olin closes a much improved 2006 summer with a solid 8-22 record overall. |
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Anamosa Journal-Eureka / Town Crier 2005
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