|
Post by mirandaaa on May 17, 2009 21:53:32 GMT -5
Congratulations Homer Hawks 14 Teal Team for your 1st place finish among 26 very talented squads. The final four teams included two from Indiana, one from Michigan and our own Hawks representing Illinois in the finals! The Sparks organization hosted an excellent weekend of softball and we thank them. We look forward to the Doanezone report for highlights and stats!
GO HAWKS!!!
|
|
|
Post by Homer Hawks Site Administrator on May 18, 2009 7:06:43 GMT -5
I hope the DoaneZone was up all night getting these highlights together - congrats again!!!!
|
|
|
Post by Sarah's Mom on May 18, 2009 7:23:38 GMT -5
What an incredible weekend of softball! You girls pulled it together when it was on the line and pulled through. All of you made us proud yesterday and represented the team with pride & honor. Thanks to the Coaches for a great job! Another great accomplishment
|
|
|
Post by grandad on May 18, 2009 9:45:24 GMT -5
Ali's Grandmother,,
Way to go Alison and team!
xxxooo
|
|
|
Post by thedoanezone on May 18, 2009 13:52:57 GMT -5
Weekend recap (summaries to follow)
Overall 7-0 (Tournament Champions!)
Pool games 1 - Hawks 1 Redbirds 0 2 - Hawks 5 New Lenox 4 3 - Hawks 6 Dreams 3
Bracket games 1 - Hawks bye 2 - Hawks 9 Ill Outlaws 1 Quarterfinals - Hawks 6 Northern Ice 1 Semifinals - Hawks 2 Indy Rebels 1 Championship - Hawks 9 Michiana Mystique 8 (2 ITB's)
|
|
|
Post by coachin12u on May 18, 2009 14:43:54 GMT -5
Wow Teal-- you girls are SOARING above the rest; true HAWKS. Keep it up!!! My team looks forward to you working with us out at the Homer Junior High during an upcoming practice.
Coach Lori- 12U Black
|
|
|
Post by CrzyMiniMom on May 18, 2009 21:35:44 GMT -5
GO HAWKS!!!
KEEP UP THE STRONG WORK ;D
|
|
|
Post by popeye on May 19, 2009 12:05:25 GMT -5
Ladies, this team by far is very talented..... We were just a little flat on defense, but with practice and hard work, you ladies managed to put it together and pulled through like CHAMPS!!!!!!! With our team playing flat at times, I'd hate to be the team(s) playing you ladies when this team hits on all cylinders....... We are dangerous when we win playing flat or playing great..... Once again excellent pitching from 'Ice', ' L Train', and Dale.... Timely hitting and excellent small ball at the tounament..... Hawk Coaches and Hawk Parents are proud of all you ladies...... Great Job!!!!!!!!!!!
Coach Roa
|
|
|
Post by thedoanezone on May 19, 2009 13:36:17 GMT -5
Game 1-6 write-ups:
Championship game deserves it's own post!!
Rain again tried to ruin Homer’s tournament plans but this time the tournament organizers came out on top as the Orland Park Spark’s organization and the Elgin Park District did a great job getting the fields ready for play after two days of rain. With twenty six teams in the field and six hours of playing time lost to Mother Nature on Saturday, pool play was shortened to 1 hour, drop dead games with bracket play on Sunday unchanged. A light load for the pitching staff (3 one hour games) gave Coach Cavin the option of using his ace, Elaine Heflin, all three games if necessary because a 3-0 start in pool play meant a first round bye on Sunday. With the shortened games the Hawks elected to hit first against their opening opponent, the Bridgeview Redbirds, hoping to score early and often. Scoring early was not a problem with Justine McClendon opening with a single, stealing second and scoring on Maddi Doane’s RBI single. Scoring often was an entirely different proposition as the Redbirds were able to hold Homer scoreless for the rest of the game (6 innings). McClendon, for the most part, was Homer’s offense, going 3 for 3 (2 singles and a double), as the Bridgeview pitcher was able to limit the rest of the lineup to just three hits (Doane, Miranda Cavin (triple) and Madison Widhalm(single)). The Hawks were able to put the ball in play without fail but were unable to stretch the lead out, although six other runners besides McClendon were able to get into scoring position. Heflin did her part, answering the call with a 12 strikeout, 3 hit, complete game performance. She struck out the side in the 2nd and 5th inning, with 2 strikeouts each in the others. Heflin’s battery mate, Emily Hastings, put an end to the Redbirds last gasp, gunning down a would-be base stealer at 3rd to end the 4th inning.
Dominique Roa made the most of her two at-bats, a single to lead off the Hawks 4-run 2nd inning and the game winner, a solo home run leading off next inning, breaking a 4-4 deadlock and giving winning pitcher, Bridget Stroh, the lead to protect once again. For the game, Stroh scattered 5 hits over four innings while walking just one. She had a shaky 1st inning, giving up two runs, including a leadoff home run by Kelly Christner, but settled down and was immediately rewarded with a lead as the Hawks answered with a four run 2nd of their own. After going 1-2-3 in the 1st inning the Hawks came alive in the next frame, sending all nine girls to the plate. RBI singles by Ali Michalik and Justine McLendon capped off the inning in which 7 girls reached base. New Lenox, on only one hit but aided by a couple of infield errors, came back to score two in their half of the 3rd and tie the game. Roa, leading off the second inning in a row, promptly untied the game with her home run blast, giving the Hawks a lead they did not relinquish. The 5-4 win sent the Hawks on to face the Indy Dreams to see who would come out on top of their pool.
The Hawk’s bats came alive against the Dreams, scoring four runs in the 3rd inning to erase a 3-0 Indy lead and adding two more in the next frame to earn a win against one of the tougher Indiana teams the Hawks have matched up against this season. Elaine Heflin took the ball in the circle and again pitched a solid game, striking out six Dream batters over four innings and surrendering just 3 hits, all in Indy’s 3-run third inning. For the Hawks offensively, eight different girls accounted for Homer’s nine hits. Maddi Doane was the only Hawk that had multiple hits with Miranda Cavin (3B), Dominique Roa, Bridget Stroh, Emily Hastings and Heflin each driving in a run. Justine McLendon scored twice for the Hawks, reaching base on an infield error in the Hawk’s 4-run third and a single in the next frame. Sarah Thompson had the other Hawk hit, a second inning single. The win earned the Hawks a first round bye on Sunday, needing 4 wins in single elimination to claim their second championship in a row.
Giving up six hits plus six walks and committing two errors in three innings usually does not foretell a good outcome. The Hawks were the recipients of just such a gift as they cruised to a 9-1, run-rule victory in their first bracket game of the day against the Illinois Outlaws. Elaine Heflin started the game, and the day, right where she left off the day before, striking out seven and giving up just two hits. It was her third victory in as many games and it sent the Hawks into the quarterfinals of the tournament, where Homer would have to win and still last another game without Heflin’s services who would be unavailable until the scheduled championship game. Justine McClendon continued to get on base and score, crossing the dish twice. Maddi Doane, Miranda Cavin and Dominique Roa also scored twice. Sarah Thompson and Heflin each had two RBI’s in the winning effort. Bridget Stroh was also perfect at the plate with a single, a walk and a run scored.
Facing off against a well known opponent, the Northern Ice, but throwing a pitcher they haven’t seen, was to Homer’s advantage. The Hawks were able to pound out six hits against the Ice’s hard throwing right hander, including a three hit game for Maddi Doane (2RBI). Sarah Thompson had a good game also, reaching base all three times she batted and scoring twice. Also scoring two times was Bridget Stroh. The Hawks capitalized on a number of Ice errors in the decisive 4th inning, scoring four times and putting the game out of reach. Dale Ryndak started in the circle for Teal and threw a complete game. Along the way she struck out nine, walked two and hit a batter. Her defensive support, at times, was less than stellar, committing 5 errors for the game. Ryndak pitched out of jams in the 1st, 4th and 6th innings, stranding a total of nine Ice runners for the game. Best wishes to the Ice catcher who suffered an unfortunate injury making an out on a pop foul. A big Hawks shout out and a heal quickly to Kelsey!!!
It took one time through the order against the Indiana Rebel’s pitcher before the Hawks were able to get anything going offensively. When they did start producing they were able to push across two runs in the fourth inning and hold on for a 2-1 win against a very talented Rebels group. The Rebels had opportunities in nearly every inning, getting runners in scoring position in the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th innings. But starter Bridget Stroh was able to keep them in check for 5 innings, allowing 4 hits and striking out four Rebels. Due to the unfortunate game delay in the previous game, Elaine Heflin was available for the Rebels third time through the order, returning to action in the 6th to face the meat of the Rebels order. Impressively, she came in and threw hard, but ran afoul of a pitcher’s bane, good hitters! Showing why they are one of the best in Indiana, the Rebels pushed across a run on two hits and a walk, but Heflin was able to shut the door, leaving runners stranded at 2nd and 3rd, recording her third K of the inning. She faced the minimum three batters in the 7th, sitting each via the strikeout, earning her the save. Maddi Doane (2-3,2B,1B,2R) was again a factor in crucial rallies for the Hawks. With one out in Homer’s half of the 4th, she drove a single through the middle of the infield and was driven in on the next pitch, a fastball that Miranda Cavin drove into the right center field gap for a triple. Dominique Roa followed that with a perfect safety squeeze, scoring Cavin with the eventual winning run. The Hawks did threaten again in the 6th when Doane and Cavin reached to open the frame but were stranded at 2nd and 3rd on two shallow fly balls and a pitcher to first putout. The win sent the Hawks into the championship game for the fourth time in as many tries, not counting the two rained-out tournaments.
|
|
|
Post by thedoanezone on May 20, 2009 9:06:36 GMT -5
Championship game: Homer Hawks 9 Michiana Mystique 8 (2 ITB)
After committing two errors in the 1st inning of the championship game Homer was lucky to be looking at only a one-run deficit as they came to bat, helped in part by an inning ending play at the plate on a confused Mystique runner. Down 1-0, the Hawks pushed across a run of their own to tie the game as Michiana returned the favor and allowed an unearned run to knot the score. Sloppy play punctuated by mental errors on both sides continued as the two teams traded the lead back and forth through six innings, with five lead changes. The Hawks never had the lead until it counted….in the last inning. Down 1-0, 3-1, 6-3 and 7-5, the Hawks never gave up battling back each time to tie the game in the 1st, 3rd and 6th innings. With the score tied at seven after six, Michiana mounted a 7th inning rally but left two stranded as Elaine Heflin, Teal’s starter and complete game winner, battled out of the jam. The Hawks went 1-2-3 in their half of the 7th to send it to the first International Tie Breaker (ITB). Heflin continued to throw hard in the extra frames, leaving the Michiana runner on 2nd as the inning ended. The Hawks were just as ineffective, with Dale Ryndak stranded at 2nd, after a popped up bunt attempt, a groundout and a strikeout. Moving to the second ITB inning, the Mystique were able to plate their runner to take the slimmest of leads going into the bottom off the ninth. Heflin found herself starting the inning on second base but moved up to third on a passed ball and scored on a close play at the plate when Justine McClendon rapped a solid grounder to the Michiana shortstop. Although she appeared safe on the play, Heflin was awarded home due to catcher’s obstruction. Looking to close out the game, McLendon stole second and waited patiently for someone to drive her in. She didn’t have to wait too long as, with two outs, Miranda Cavin came through with a single through the right side, scoring the speedy McLendon and giving Homer the Championship. It was Cavin’s second hit of the game adding her name to McClendon’s (2-1B,3R,2RBI) as the only Hawks with multiple hits. Runs scored and RBI’s were pretty well distributed with Dominique Roa driving in a pair with two sacrifice flies and Maddi Doane crossing the dish twice and driving in one. Others tallying RBI’s were Ryndak and Bridget Stroh. Congratulations girls on going 7-0 on the weekend and beating some of the best teams in the Midwest (New Lenox, Northern Ice, Dreams, Rebels and the Mystique). Special thanks to #77, Dale Ryndak for all her contributions on Sunday. The Hawks are back in action this coming weekend as they battle at 16U in the Lisle Slammers tournament.
|
|