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	The Manchester Enterprise A Heritage Newspaper Weekly Publication

Dutch enter playoffs on hot streak

Five wins in last six gives Manchester lift entering districts

By Ed Patino, Staff Writer

PUBLISHED: May 31, 2007

It took a while for the Manchester varsity softball team to hit its stride, but its timing couldn't have been better.

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After struggling for most of the regular season, the Flying Dutch will be a hot team entering the high school softball state playoffs.

Manchester (11-20, 2-12 Cascades) won five of its final six games to close out the regular season. The Dutch hope their strong play continues this weekend in the Division 3 district tournament at Clinton High School.

The Dutch will begin district play Saturday at noon in the semifinals, where they'll face either Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard or Whitmore Lake. The Irish and Trojans played the pre-district round Tuesday. State powerhouse Clinton will face Grass Lake in Saturday's other semifinal game at 10 a.m.

The district final is scheduled to begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the semifinals. The district champion will advance to the Division 3 regional tournament at Grass Lake.

Manchester finished the regular season May 23 with a 2-0 victory over Gabriel Richard. Its recent hot streak included victories over Lenawee Christian, Adrian Madison and Stockbridge.

"We're happy to finish strong, and our pitching and defense have been great the last two games," Manchester coach Nikole Fether said. "We're still young and it's good to get through this first year. The last six or seven games we've been playing a lot better."

The varsity girls have seen the most improvement in their fielding. After averaging five errors per game for most of the season, the Dutch have committed two errors or less during the last six games.

Defense, according to Fether, will be a key factor if Manchester is to be successful in the district.

"These teams will hit and run on us," Fether said. "They're fast teams, and we'll have to hit the faster pitching we'll see."

Manchester boasts three strong pitchers in senior ace Alex Fairbanks, freshman starter Jenny Stautz and freshman Roxanne Rickert. Fairbanks allowed two runs and struck out 15 over her final two starts, and recently threw a one-hitter against Madison. Stautz and Rickert have gained valuable pitching experience behind Fairbanks and provide Manchester with options in its rotation.

Senior Shanel Mullins and juniors Julie Fielder and Hannah Caszatt have led the offense for the Dutch for most of the season. Stephanie Preston, a junior, and Erin Robinson, a senior, have seen their bats come to life recently, while Emily Johnson and Emily Lobbestael have provided a spark since moving up from the junior varsity team.

"We'll have a lot to build on from this season," Fether said. "We have a lot coming back next year."

In the semifinals, Manchester could see a familiar foe or an unfamiliar opponent. The Dutch will either have a rematch with Gabriel Richard, against whom they ended the regular season with a victory, or Whitmore Lake, a team they didn't play this season.

The semifinal winner will likely face a big challenge against host Clinton. A team with a history of softball success, the Redskins went 33-4 this season and is ranked No. 4 in the recent Division 3 state polls. Clinton posted a 1-0 victory over Tecumseh, ranked No. 3 in the Division 2 polls, last Thursday.

"Clinton always has a successful program," Fether said. "They're a rival that we don't see that often, and we'll be the underdogs if we play them, but that's why you play the games."

Manchester has enjoyed recent playoff success, winning the district title the last two years. Last season, the Dutch won the Whitmore Lake district and advanced to the regional semifinals.

But with only four players returning from last year's team, the playoffs will be a new venture for most of the Dutch.

"We're still new to the district environment, but having won two districts we're hoping to start a winning tradition," Fether said.