Post by Homer Hawks Site Administrator on Jul 17, 2007 15:51:48 GMT -5
vICTORY IN WOOD RIVER !!!!
After winning the championship in Elgin the week before, Hawks-BT
travelled to Wood River, IL for an ASA National Qualifier. They came
away with the Championship--beating Hawks-Franzen in the final game--and
a well-deserved bid to the ASA Nationals in Texas.
Recap:
Hawks 6 Bluff City Storm 1. Hawks opened bracket play on Friday night
against the Bluff City Storm. We got a good start to the tournament,
winning 6-1. Sarah Porzel went the distance for the good guys, yielding
one earned run and only 4 hits over 7 innings. Stephanie Trapp got the
Hawks off to a good start in the bottom of the first, with a 2 run HR.
For the game, Trapp had a HR, a triple and a single--missing the cycle.
Bethany Nolan was 3-3.
Hawks 2 QC Heat 1 (8 innings). Our next opponent was the Quad Cities
Heat. Sarah Porzel, our toss-calling specialist, again won home team
advantage for the Hawks, reaching 2-0 for the tournament. Sara Silke
pitched a great game, yielding but one unearned run and striking out 6
in a 2-1 extra-inning victory. The Hawks squeaked out only 2 hits, yet
led 1-0 in the top of the 7th. With 2 outs in the top of the 7th and a
runner on 3rd, the tying run scored on a disputed play at 1st base--the
umpire ruling that Stephanie Trapp's foot came off the base while
stretching for a wide throw. But in the 8th the Hawks used their
patented tie-breaker pick-off play on the first pitch, with Bethany
Nolan's cannon stunning the runner on 2nd base. Jessica Walsh scored the
winning run on a throwing error in the bottom of the 8th.
Hawks 3 Southwest Sluggers 1. Next came the Southwest Sluggers, from
Southern Illinois. This was a great game. Porzel lost the coin toss,
dropping to 2-1 despite following her tried-and-true strategy of calling
"heads". Kim Malacina pitched for the Hawks, yielding one earned run in
the 3rd, following a dreaded lead off walk. But she shut the Sluggers
down after that, yielding only 2 baserunners, both of whom withered at
1st base. But the Hawks were down 1-0 going to the 7th, garnering only
1 hit through the first 6. But the girls were just sizing things up and
saving energy. In the 7th Jessica Walsh drew a 1-out BB, and advanced
to 2nd on Brittany Hannigan's sacrifice bunt. With 2 out in the 7th the
until-then-silent Hawks decided to hit. Nicole Winkler lined a base hit
to right, scoring Walsh with the tying run. Kara Harmatys tripled to
the left-centerfield gap, scoring Winkler with the go-ahead run. Then
Stephanie Trapp tripled to left, while Harmatys skipped home. Malacina
shut 'em down in the bottom of the 7th to seal the victory, and capture
the "winner's bracket" for the Hawks.
Hawks-BT 9 Hawks-Franzen 5 (8 innings). Travel 5 hours and what do you
get? A championship game against your own organization. We had to wait
quite a while to see who would emerge from the loser's bracket. But in
typical Hawk fashion is was the "other" Hawk 18s, who bravely fought
back from back-to-back losses at the start of the tournament.
Hawks-Franzen played 6 games, shorthanded, in 95 degree heat to reach
the championship game. And they played like champions, giving us all we
could handle.
Porzel's coin-flipping slump continued when, defying logic, the quarter
came up "tails" for a second consecutive game. Sara Silke--the hero of
last week's Elgin victory--took the rubber for Hawks-BT. Hawks-BT went
up 1-0 in the 2nd, which looked like a safe lead the way our pitching
had gone over the last 2 weeks. But strike zones are different down
there, and Hawks-BT went to Malacina in the 3rd. By the end of 3 it was
Hawks-Franzen 4 Hawks-BT 2. Things settled down to a pitchers' duel
after that, and we went to the 7th down 4-2. Do you see a pattern here?
"Oh, we need runs?, OK, coach, will do. Why didn't you say so?" Bethany
Nolan led off the 7th with a BB, followed by Jessica Walsh's infield
single. Brittany Hannigan advanced the pair with a bunt, putting
runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 down. Nicole Winkler's SF to center
scored Nolan, making it 4-3, with 2 down. No problem. Kara Harmatys
tripled to the left-center gap, scoring Walsh from 2nd and tying the
game 4-4. But Harmatys died at 3rd on Mari Topel's FO to left.
The Hawks-BT 8th started with Trapp on 2nd. Sarah Porzel attempted a
push bunt, which was caught. Sara Silke popped out. With 2 outs and
finesse and strategy having failed, Hawks-BT decided to try hitting the
ball. Kim Malacina singled to left, scoring Trapp, 5-4. Bethany Nolan
singled, advancing Malacina to 3rd, and stole 2nd base. Jessica Walsh
walked, loading the bases. Brittany Hannigan drew a BB, scoring
Malacina, 6-4. Nicole Winkler doubled to right, scoring Walsh, Nolan
and Hannigan, 9-4. Hawks-Franzen scored one in the bottom of the 8th,
ending the game.
A hard-fought championship, and a credit to the Hawks organization.
After winning the championship in Elgin the week before, Hawks-BT
travelled to Wood River, IL for an ASA National Qualifier. They came
away with the Championship--beating Hawks-Franzen in the final game--and
a well-deserved bid to the ASA Nationals in Texas.
Recap:
Hawks 6 Bluff City Storm 1. Hawks opened bracket play on Friday night
against the Bluff City Storm. We got a good start to the tournament,
winning 6-1. Sarah Porzel went the distance for the good guys, yielding
one earned run and only 4 hits over 7 innings. Stephanie Trapp got the
Hawks off to a good start in the bottom of the first, with a 2 run HR.
For the game, Trapp had a HR, a triple and a single--missing the cycle.
Bethany Nolan was 3-3.
Hawks 2 QC Heat 1 (8 innings). Our next opponent was the Quad Cities
Heat. Sarah Porzel, our toss-calling specialist, again won home team
advantage for the Hawks, reaching 2-0 for the tournament. Sara Silke
pitched a great game, yielding but one unearned run and striking out 6
in a 2-1 extra-inning victory. The Hawks squeaked out only 2 hits, yet
led 1-0 in the top of the 7th. With 2 outs in the top of the 7th and a
runner on 3rd, the tying run scored on a disputed play at 1st base--the
umpire ruling that Stephanie Trapp's foot came off the base while
stretching for a wide throw. But in the 8th the Hawks used their
patented tie-breaker pick-off play on the first pitch, with Bethany
Nolan's cannon stunning the runner on 2nd base. Jessica Walsh scored the
winning run on a throwing error in the bottom of the 8th.
Hawks 3 Southwest Sluggers 1. Next came the Southwest Sluggers, from
Southern Illinois. This was a great game. Porzel lost the coin toss,
dropping to 2-1 despite following her tried-and-true strategy of calling
"heads". Kim Malacina pitched for the Hawks, yielding one earned run in
the 3rd, following a dreaded lead off walk. But she shut the Sluggers
down after that, yielding only 2 baserunners, both of whom withered at
1st base. But the Hawks were down 1-0 going to the 7th, garnering only
1 hit through the first 6. But the girls were just sizing things up and
saving energy. In the 7th Jessica Walsh drew a 1-out BB, and advanced
to 2nd on Brittany Hannigan's sacrifice bunt. With 2 out in the 7th the
until-then-silent Hawks decided to hit. Nicole Winkler lined a base hit
to right, scoring Walsh with the tying run. Kara Harmatys tripled to
the left-centerfield gap, scoring Winkler with the go-ahead run. Then
Stephanie Trapp tripled to left, while Harmatys skipped home. Malacina
shut 'em down in the bottom of the 7th to seal the victory, and capture
the "winner's bracket" for the Hawks.
Hawks-BT 9 Hawks-Franzen 5 (8 innings). Travel 5 hours and what do you
get? A championship game against your own organization. We had to wait
quite a while to see who would emerge from the loser's bracket. But in
typical Hawk fashion is was the "other" Hawk 18s, who bravely fought
back from back-to-back losses at the start of the tournament.
Hawks-Franzen played 6 games, shorthanded, in 95 degree heat to reach
the championship game. And they played like champions, giving us all we
could handle.
Porzel's coin-flipping slump continued when, defying logic, the quarter
came up "tails" for a second consecutive game. Sara Silke--the hero of
last week's Elgin victory--took the rubber for Hawks-BT. Hawks-BT went
up 1-0 in the 2nd, which looked like a safe lead the way our pitching
had gone over the last 2 weeks. But strike zones are different down
there, and Hawks-BT went to Malacina in the 3rd. By the end of 3 it was
Hawks-Franzen 4 Hawks-BT 2. Things settled down to a pitchers' duel
after that, and we went to the 7th down 4-2. Do you see a pattern here?
"Oh, we need runs?, OK, coach, will do. Why didn't you say so?" Bethany
Nolan led off the 7th with a BB, followed by Jessica Walsh's infield
single. Brittany Hannigan advanced the pair with a bunt, putting
runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 down. Nicole Winkler's SF to center
scored Nolan, making it 4-3, with 2 down. No problem. Kara Harmatys
tripled to the left-center gap, scoring Walsh from 2nd and tying the
game 4-4. But Harmatys died at 3rd on Mari Topel's FO to left.
The Hawks-BT 8th started with Trapp on 2nd. Sarah Porzel attempted a
push bunt, which was caught. Sara Silke popped out. With 2 outs and
finesse and strategy having failed, Hawks-BT decided to try hitting the
ball. Kim Malacina singled to left, scoring Trapp, 5-4. Bethany Nolan
singled, advancing Malacina to 3rd, and stole 2nd base. Jessica Walsh
walked, loading the bases. Brittany Hannigan drew a BB, scoring
Malacina, 6-4. Nicole Winkler doubled to right, scoring Walsh, Nolan
and Hannigan, 9-4. Hawks-Franzen scored one in the bottom of the 8th,
ending the game.
A hard-fought championship, and a credit to the Hawks organization.