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	The Manchester Enterprise A Heritage Newspaper Weekly Publication

Tansel's no-hitter leads Clinton to another district championship

Dutch put up fight, but Redskins capture 13th district in 14 years

By Ed Patino, Staff Writer

PUBLISHED: June 7, 2007

A powerhouse opponent and Mother Nature put a halt to the Manchester varsity softball team's hot streak Saturday.

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Behind a lights-out pitching effort from Alison Tansel, the Clinton Redskins secured the Division 3 district championship with a 4-0 victory over the Flying Dutch in the finals.

Manchester (12-21) saw its season come to an end, but won six of its final eight games. The Redskins, ranked No. 4 in the Division 3 state polls, won a district title for the 13th time in 14 seasons. Clinton (35-4) advanced to Saturday's regional tournament at Grass Lake, where it will face Riverview Gabriel Richard in the semifinals.

Thunderstorms caused the finals to be delayed twice. The game was called in the top of the sixth inning after the second hour-plus stoppage due to poor field conditions.

"Surely we wanted to finish the game, and we were playing them well," Manchester coach Nikole Fether said. "We had one more at bat and maybe had a chance for a rally, but we already had five innings in and they couldn't get the field ready."

Tansel was the story of the day for the Redskins. After throwing a three-hitter with 15 strikeouts in the semifinal victory over Grass Lake, Tansel tossed a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts against the Dutch.

"Alison did a nice job pitching," Clinton coach Al Roberts said. "She's proved that she gets stronger as the day goes on, and Alison was super focused today."

Tansel punched out the side in the top of the first, then her offense gave her support in the bottom of the frame. Laura Heinz delivered a two-RBI double that scored Erika Norris, and then came home on Colleen Zimmerman's single for a 2-0 lead.

Clinton extended its lead in the third inning as Marissa Sevenish and Sadie Brown scored on wild pitches.

Before the fourth inning, the first line of showers delayed the game for an hour and 20 minutes. Tansel remained hot after the break, forcing a groundout and striking out two to end the frame.

"Her pitches were faster than what we've seen," Fether said. "When we did hit the ball we didn't have enough power to get out of the infield."

Manchester got its first runner on base in the top of the sixth when Emily Lobbestael advanced to first base on a passed ball strikeout. But it went for naught as a second thunderstorm flooded the field.

"We played good defense against a good team," Fether said. "We felt that we could hang with them and maybe squeak out a win."

Sevenish and Erin VanWasshnova each had two hits to lead the Redskins.

Alex Fairbanks took the pitching loss for the Dutch, allowing six hits with one strikeout in five innings.

Both Manchester and Clinton advanced with shutouts in the semifinals. The Dutch blasted Whitmore Lake 9-0, while Clinton posted a 7-0 victory over Grass Lake.

Fairbanks was dominant in the circle against Whitmore Lake, throwing a two-hitter while striking out 11.

"Alex's change up was awesome and her dropball was also effective," Fether said.

Jenny Stautz broke the ice in the bottom of the fourth with a two-RBI single. An inning later, Erin Robinson scored Shanel Mullins with a single, then came home on Julie Fielder's RBI single, making it 4-0. Later in the fifth, Roxanne Rickert scored on a passed ball.

"It took a while for us to get used to their pitcher, but we started hitting in the fifth and sixth innings," Fether said. "We were not looking past them."

Manchester took advantage of Whitmore Lake miscues in the sixth inning, putting the game away with four runs. The Dutch scored on a wild pitch, a missed tag at first base and two throwing errors.

The Dutch will return six starters next year, including the top half of their batting order and two pitchers with Stautz and Rickert.

"With a year of experience under their belt, they should be strong next year," Fether said. "I see a lot of good things if we keep progressing."

Staff Writer Ed Patino can be reached at 428-8173 or epatino@heritage.com.