The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Manchester advances to finals of home tournament
Flying Dutch 'put it togehter' to win three of last four contests
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: May 24, 2007
With the state playoffs on the horizon, the Manchester varsity softball team has picked the right time to hit its stride.
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The Flying Dutch won two of three games and finished runner-up in Saturday's Manchester Invitational. Sand Creek went 3-0 on the day to win the event, clinching the title with a 13-3 victory over Manchester in the final game.
Before falling to the Aggies, Manchester blanked Adrian Madison 6-0 and blitzed Stockbridge 13-3. The Dutch have won three of their last four games.
Manchester hung with Sand Creek during the first three innings. Trailing 3-1, the Dutch rallied to tie the game with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. The Aggies regained the lead with two runs in the top of the fourth, then exploded for eight runs in the fifth to put the game away.
The game was stopped after the fifth inning due to the mercy rule.
"Sand Creek is a good team and they really started hitting in the fifth inning," Manchester coach Nikole Fether said. "We couldn't get our hitting going after the third inning, and we made some bad decisions defensively."
The Dutch were held to four hits in the game. Shanel Mullins was 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored to lead the way, while Emily Johnson went 1-for-2 with a run. Roxanne Rickert and Julie Fielder each added a hit for the Dutch.
Alex Fairbanks was charged with the pitching loss, allowing nine runs (seven earned) on eight hits and striking out five in four innings.
Manchester had its offense at full steam in the first two games. Against Stockbridge, the Dutch surged ahead with a seven-run sixth inning. Manchester cranked out 12 hits in the game and had four players with multiple-hit performances.
"It took a while, but we started hitting in the sixth inning," Fether said.
Stephanie Preston went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs to lead the assault, while Mullins was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Emily Lobbestael was 2-for-3 with two runs and Erin Robinson went 2-for-4 with a run. Johnson finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs, while Fielder had a hit, RBI and three runs scored for the Dutch.
Jenny Stautz held Stockbridge to three runs (two earned) on six hits and struck out four in six innings for the pitching win.
"Jenny hadn't pitched in a while, but she threw a good game," Fether said.
Fairbanks was the story in the circle against Madison. The senior threw a one-hit shutout and recorded six strikeouts for the victory.
"Alex probably had her best game of the year," Fether said. "We played great and finally put it all together."
The Dutch wasted little time, jumping to a 4-0 lead after the first inning and plating two more runs in the bottom of the third.
Lobbestael went 3-for-3 with an RBI and run scored to lead the Dutch, while Mullins was 3-for-3 with a run. Rickert finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run and Hannah Caszatt went 1-for-3 with an RBI and run scored for Manchester.
The Dutch roughed up Madison starting pitcher Libby Perez for six runs (five earned) on 13 hits in six innings. Perez struck out five for the Trojans.
Wednesday's regular season finale against Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard took place after the newspaper's deadline. The Dutch will compete in the Division 3 district tournament June 2 at Clinton.
"We're looking to finish strong," Fether said. "Our hitting has been okay, but we need to clean up our defense to get ready for districts."
Dutch vs. Ann Arbor Greenhills
The Flying Dutch wasted little time in taking out their frustrations Friday as they stormed to an 18-3 victory over Ann Arbor Greenhills in a non-conference game.
Manchester erupted for nine runs in the bottom of the first inning and held an 11-0 lead after two. Greenhills answered with three runs in the top of the third, but the Dutch put the game away in the bottom of the frame. The game was stopped after three innings due to the mercy rule.
The Dutch belted out 13 hits in the game. Mullins went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs to lead the attack, while Rickert was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Robinson was 3-for-4 with two runs and Lobbestael finished 2-for-3 with a RBI and two runs. Stautz went 1-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Preston added a hit and two runs for the Manchester.
Stautz struck out four and allowed two runs (one earned) in two innings for the pitching win.
Dutch vs. Michigan Center
The Flying Dutch nearly pulled off an amazing comeback, but fell short in a 9-8 loss to the Michigan Center Cardinals in a Cascades Conference game May 17.
Michigan Center appeared to seal the win after plating three runs in the top of the seventh to build a 9-2 lead. However, the Dutch fought back with six runs in the bottom of the frame
Stautz started the rally with an RBI single scored by Fielder, then Preston scored on a bases-loaded walk. Caszatt then made it 9-6 with a two-RBI triple. Johnson scored on a passed ball and another run scored on a Michigan Center error, but the Cardinals were able to stop the bleeding and escape with the win.
"One thing about our team is that we don't give up," Fether said. "We made a great comeback and started hitting against a decent pitcher."
Rickert went 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored to lead Manchester, while Caszatt was 1-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs. Fielder went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored and Mullins finished with a hit, RBI and run for the Dutch.
Rickert took the pitching loss, allowing nine runs (seven earned) on nine hits and striking out four in six innings.
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