Post by Porter Boy on Mar 30, 2007 23:42:31 GMT -5
At-'em balls have been a staple of the Lockport High School softball program for as long as Jenny Festin has been alive, so the junior first baseman scientifically tweaked the Porters' formula Monday.
p>In her varsity debut, Festin fended off the nerves by feasting on Providence Catholic's pitches, avoiding anything involving an at-'em ball -- a.k.a. the swing right at them -- with another source of at-the-plate energy.
The atom ball.
» Click to enlarge image
» Click to enlarge image
"I wanted to keep my nerves inside, and the first hit gave me confidence," Festin said. "Oh, I was nervous, but it was a big game and we did well. We were ready. Coach has been throwing to us, we've been practicing a lot of live hitting, and everybody was doing great for us today."
On a pleasantly warm but windy afternoon, Festin produced the first chapter of "Great Expectations" for Lockport softball in 2007. She finished 3-for-3 with a double and a Samantha Findlay-esque 5 RBIs, pounding the spry Porters to an 11-0 nonconference victory in 5 innings.
DePaul University-bound junior center fielder Katelyn Braget also debuted for Lockport (1-0) at 3-for-3 with 2 runs, a double and 2 RBIs, while senior third baseman Brittany Wilson went 1-for-2 with a walk and 3 runs. Sophomore second baseman Kayleigh Bertram singled and scored twice.
Coming off the bench, junior catcher Courtney Kutsulis contributed an RBI double, complementing a double by senior outfielder Melissa Kamba. Freshman shortstop Amanda Stanton added a beaut bunt single to short on a sacrifice, following Festin's fifth RBI -- a bloop in the left-center clouds that detonated thusly.
The atomic ball.
"It's contagious," Festin said, who drive in the game-winner with a 2-RBI double in the bottom of the first inning. "Once someone does good, you have to get the next person going -- you have to move them and get them in."
"Yes we did and it was," Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec nodded, answering the atom ball and contagious questions in one full swoop. "We have a very talented class coming in here as juniors, with not much in terms of varsity experience, but they bring a lot to the table and I'm excited to see what they can do for us."
All Providence Catholic (0-2) could do against senior right-handers Sarah Porzel and Kim Malacina -- recruits of St. Ambrose and St. Francis, respectively -- were walks by senior third baseman Brittany Hanrahan and junior catcher Michelle Karr. Porzel (1-0) fanned 5 in 3 innings and then Malacina struck out a pair.
Besides the accomplished no-hit bid, the Celtics were befuddled by Festin's aforementioned 2-RBI double with two outs in the first. Festin's second 2-RBI shot, a sharp bouncer through the hole at short in the third, again greased the two-out wheel established during Saturday's 8-4 setback against Minooka. The Indians scored 6 runs with two outs.
"We just can't seem to get that last out," Providence coach Jay Biesterfeld said. "And (Lockport) was driving the ball. But we'll get back and keep working, and I don't have any doubt that we will be better than this. We'll be able to get back ... it wasn't our day."
After Lockport started the day with Festin launching a double down the left-field line, scoring both Bertram and Wilson, Braget blasted a one-hopper down the third-base line and Wilson lined a single that seemingly scorched a hole in Hanrahan's glove. Festin's single earned the 4-0 lead.
"Yeah, I was really nervous," Braget confirmed. "We all were nervous, but we got over it by supporting each other and having fun. It feels good to put on a varsity jersey for the first time, and it was good to get out here because we've been waiting to play a game for so long. It was fun, it was great, and Jenny had a great day."
"Those are big days," Chovanec said of Festin and Braget. "We have 20 kids on the team and we're going to try and utilize all of them somehow. When those kids step up and set the tone, though, it says a lot about our day."
That day aesthetically concluded with a 7-run, 5-hit fourth inning. Kutsulis led off with a double to the warning track and scored on the second of 4 errors, with Braget's grooved 2-RBI single to left-center pushing the Porters' lead to 7-0. Errors also scored Braget and Bertram, the latter whom reached on an infield hit.
The shuttle of Lockport's 11-run, 11-hit endeavor landed the mercy rule via Festin's floater into short left field and Kutsulis' bases-loaded, RBI fielder's choice culminated the scoring. Stanton ended the inning with a rocket to right field -- except it was the opposite of Festin's atomic cuts.
The at-'em ball.
"If we get once person going, everybody gets going," Braget said. "Nobody's worried, and they go up there and smash the ball."
"We have things to work on and improve upon, like our baserunning," Chovanec pointed out. "But we definitely have something now we can build on."
p>In her varsity debut, Festin fended off the nerves by feasting on Providence Catholic's pitches, avoiding anything involving an at-'em ball -- a.k.a. the swing right at them -- with another source of at-the-plate energy.
The atom ball.
» Click to enlarge image
» Click to enlarge image
"I wanted to keep my nerves inside, and the first hit gave me confidence," Festin said. "Oh, I was nervous, but it was a big game and we did well. We were ready. Coach has been throwing to us, we've been practicing a lot of live hitting, and everybody was doing great for us today."
On a pleasantly warm but windy afternoon, Festin produced the first chapter of "Great Expectations" for Lockport softball in 2007. She finished 3-for-3 with a double and a Samantha Findlay-esque 5 RBIs, pounding the spry Porters to an 11-0 nonconference victory in 5 innings.
DePaul University-bound junior center fielder Katelyn Braget also debuted for Lockport (1-0) at 3-for-3 with 2 runs, a double and 2 RBIs, while senior third baseman Brittany Wilson went 1-for-2 with a walk and 3 runs. Sophomore second baseman Kayleigh Bertram singled and scored twice.
Coming off the bench, junior catcher Courtney Kutsulis contributed an RBI double, complementing a double by senior outfielder Melissa Kamba. Freshman shortstop Amanda Stanton added a beaut bunt single to short on a sacrifice, following Festin's fifth RBI -- a bloop in the left-center clouds that detonated thusly.
The atomic ball.
"It's contagious," Festin said, who drive in the game-winner with a 2-RBI double in the bottom of the first inning. "Once someone does good, you have to get the next person going -- you have to move them and get them in."
"Yes we did and it was," Lockport coach Marissa Chovanec nodded, answering the atom ball and contagious questions in one full swoop. "We have a very talented class coming in here as juniors, with not much in terms of varsity experience, but they bring a lot to the table and I'm excited to see what they can do for us."
All Providence Catholic (0-2) could do against senior right-handers Sarah Porzel and Kim Malacina -- recruits of St. Ambrose and St. Francis, respectively -- were walks by senior third baseman Brittany Hanrahan and junior catcher Michelle Karr. Porzel (1-0) fanned 5 in 3 innings and then Malacina struck out a pair.
Besides the accomplished no-hit bid, the Celtics were befuddled by Festin's aforementioned 2-RBI double with two outs in the first. Festin's second 2-RBI shot, a sharp bouncer through the hole at short in the third, again greased the two-out wheel established during Saturday's 8-4 setback against Minooka. The Indians scored 6 runs with two outs.
"We just can't seem to get that last out," Providence coach Jay Biesterfeld said. "And (Lockport) was driving the ball. But we'll get back and keep working, and I don't have any doubt that we will be better than this. We'll be able to get back ... it wasn't our day."
After Lockport started the day with Festin launching a double down the left-field line, scoring both Bertram and Wilson, Braget blasted a one-hopper down the third-base line and Wilson lined a single that seemingly scorched a hole in Hanrahan's glove. Festin's single earned the 4-0 lead.
"Yeah, I was really nervous," Braget confirmed. "We all were nervous, but we got over it by supporting each other and having fun. It feels good to put on a varsity jersey for the first time, and it was good to get out here because we've been waiting to play a game for so long. It was fun, it was great, and Jenny had a great day."
"Those are big days," Chovanec said of Festin and Braget. "We have 20 kids on the team and we're going to try and utilize all of them somehow. When those kids step up and set the tone, though, it says a lot about our day."
That day aesthetically concluded with a 7-run, 5-hit fourth inning. Kutsulis led off with a double to the warning track and scored on the second of 4 errors, with Braget's grooved 2-RBI single to left-center pushing the Porters' lead to 7-0. Errors also scored Braget and Bertram, the latter whom reached on an infield hit.
The shuttle of Lockport's 11-run, 11-hit endeavor landed the mercy rule via Festin's floater into short left field and Kutsulis' bases-loaded, RBI fielder's choice culminated the scoring. Stanton ended the inning with a rocket to right field -- except it was the opposite of Festin's atomic cuts.
The at-'em ball.
"If we get once person going, everybody gets going," Braget said. "Nobody's worried, and they go up there and smash the ball."
"We have things to work on and improve upon, like our baserunning," Chovanec pointed out. "But we definitely have something now we can build on."