Post by Homer Hawks Site Administrator on May 11, 2011 12:45:49 GMT -5
Cavin sisters lead Conant
BY PATRICK Z. MCGAVIN
May 9, 2011 Miranda Cavin wanted to help her older sister, junior Conant starting pitcher Briana, as much as possible.
Briana Cavin required little back up.
Miranda Cavin’s two-run first inning home run sparked the Cougars’ offense and Briana Cavin’s extraordinary one-hitter smothered visiting Barrington in the No. 11 Cougars’ 10-0 whipping of the No. 15 Fillies Monday afternoon in Hoffman Estates.
Miranda, a sophomore catcher, fouled off a stunning 10 pitches with two outs in the bottom of the first. With the count at 3-2, after fouling five consecutive pitches, Miranda smashed a shot over the left-field fence.
“She kept throwing outside and I was able to make contact with those, and she finally came inside with a pitch and I was able to go with it,” Miranda Cavin said.
“I wanted to do as much as possible to help my sister out,” she said. Sophomore Sarah Thompson (2-for-2, 2 doubles, 3 RBI) followed with a two-run double that extended the Cougars’ lead to 4-0.
Briana Cavin took control from there. In the five inning game, Cavin threw a perfect 4 1/3, retiring the first 13 Barrington hitters and struck out a season-high 11 hitters as part of a masterly performance that took her record to a gaudy 17-1.
After recording a 1-3 putout to start the game, Briana struck out the next seven Barrington hitters.
It was her highest single-game strike out total since she fanned 15 in a game as a freshman.
The Cougars (21-1, 10-1 MSL West) collected 12 hits, including four extra base shots. Thompson added another RBI double in the third, part of a five-hit, five-run explosion that punched the lead out to 9-0
It was a family affair, she explained. “I’ve been working with dad [Tom] a lot recently to help me get my speed back, and I think I threw as hard and fast today as I have all year,” Briana Cavin said. “I’ve been timed at 66 [miles per hour], and I think I was that fast today.”
Liz Owen reached base on a sharp single up the middle for the Broncos (20-10, 8-4).
Briana was particularly effectively forcing Barrington’s hitters to chase-high fast balls. She credited her sister with the assist. “My sister’s very good at reading people and knowing what they’re going to go after,” she said. “She called a lot of high fastballs.”
Senior first baseman Paige Ward (2-for-2) added a two-run double for the Cougars. Just to complete her impressive day, Briana Cavin (1-for-4) added an RBI-scoring single.
“It’s just very exciting to have this kind of start,” she said. “Conant’s never had a team win this many games at this point in the year, and it’s great to beat a great team and program like Barrington twice in the same year, which we haven’t done in more than 10 years.”
BY PATRICK Z. MCGAVIN
May 9, 2011 Miranda Cavin wanted to help her older sister, junior Conant starting pitcher Briana, as much as possible.
Briana Cavin required little back up.
Miranda Cavin’s two-run first inning home run sparked the Cougars’ offense and Briana Cavin’s extraordinary one-hitter smothered visiting Barrington in the No. 11 Cougars’ 10-0 whipping of the No. 15 Fillies Monday afternoon in Hoffman Estates.
Miranda, a sophomore catcher, fouled off a stunning 10 pitches with two outs in the bottom of the first. With the count at 3-2, after fouling five consecutive pitches, Miranda smashed a shot over the left-field fence.
“She kept throwing outside and I was able to make contact with those, and she finally came inside with a pitch and I was able to go with it,” Miranda Cavin said.
“I wanted to do as much as possible to help my sister out,” she said. Sophomore Sarah Thompson (2-for-2, 2 doubles, 3 RBI) followed with a two-run double that extended the Cougars’ lead to 4-0.
Briana Cavin took control from there. In the five inning game, Cavin threw a perfect 4 1/3, retiring the first 13 Barrington hitters and struck out a season-high 11 hitters as part of a masterly performance that took her record to a gaudy 17-1.
After recording a 1-3 putout to start the game, Briana struck out the next seven Barrington hitters.
It was her highest single-game strike out total since she fanned 15 in a game as a freshman.
The Cougars (21-1, 10-1 MSL West) collected 12 hits, including four extra base shots. Thompson added another RBI double in the third, part of a five-hit, five-run explosion that punched the lead out to 9-0
It was a family affair, she explained. “I’ve been working with dad [Tom] a lot recently to help me get my speed back, and I think I threw as hard and fast today as I have all year,” Briana Cavin said. “I’ve been timed at 66 [miles per hour], and I think I was that fast today.”
Liz Owen reached base on a sharp single up the middle for the Broncos (20-10, 8-4).
Briana was particularly effectively forcing Barrington’s hitters to chase-high fast balls. She credited her sister with the assist. “My sister’s very good at reading people and knowing what they’re going to go after,” she said. “She called a lot of high fastballs.”
Senior first baseman Paige Ward (2-for-2) added a two-run double for the Cougars. Just to complete her impressive day, Briana Cavin (1-for-4) added an RBI-scoring single.
“It’s just very exciting to have this kind of start,” she said. “Conant’s never had a team win this many games at this point in the year, and it’s great to beat a great team and program like Barrington twice in the same year, which we haven’t done in more than 10 years.”