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Sports
'Up and down' play results in split twinbill : Sports : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, Illinois'Up and down' play results in split twinbill
| Oswego softball team knocks out 12 hits against Pirates to take Game 2
| by Laura M. Medina
| 4/26/2012
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Double-digit hits provided two different results for the Oswego softball team on Saturday, with its efforts resulting in a doubleheader split against visiting Ottawa - an 11-2 loss in the opener and a 5-0 victory in the nightcap - in a non-conference meeting.
Prior to last weekend's game, the Panthers had fallen in back-to-back contests, a 13-1 defeat versus Plainfield East on April 17 at home and an 8-0 loss to Plainfield Central on the road two days later to drop them to 1-5 in Southwest Prairie Conference.
Both matchups had come on the heels of winning the Fox Valley Tournament, which ran from April 13-14, at East Aurora. In sweeping three contests there, Oswego (8-10) pounded out at least 10 hits, combining for 42 overall in that span.
But in Saturday's opener, double-digit hits weren't enough to top the likes of the Pirates.
"We had 10 hits in the first game (versus Ottawa), but we just left the bases loaded a few times, and we couldn't quite put things together," Panthers head coach John Carlson said. "In the second game, we had a couple more and only had an error in each game. We're kind of up and down a little bit, but they seemed to bounce back really well, so that's a positive."
After being limited to five hits in the first four innings of the first game, Oswego's best scoring chances came in the fifth, when consecutive singles from the middle of the order put a run on the board. With two runners on and two outs, sophomore right fielder Kelsea Baker hit a single to left center to bring junior Jessica Clark around to score.
The Panthers put another run on the board in the seventh, as junior catcher Jessa Garcia (2-for-4 in the opener) brought junior left fielder Ashley Blocker around on a groundout.
In all, Oswego tallied 10 hits against Ottawa left-hander Hillary Hon, who went the distance, walking one along the way. Meanwhile, right-handed sophomore Stephanie Prentice had a tougher complete-game outing, allowing 12 hits, walking three and hitting one, as well as fanning three.
The Pirates scored six runs in the first four innings, while tacking on the final five in a wild fifth. Second baseman Brittany Terando (3-for-4, five RBIs), shortstop Lindsay Greene (2-for-5, two RBIs) and third baseman Mary Richardson (2-for-4, two RBIs) provided most of the damage.
But it was Oswego providing the firepower in the second game, as the team totaled 12 hits versus right-hander Juleesa Kindred in the outing, recording at least one in each inning except the second.
"We can hit; we're just a little up and down from game to game," Carlson said. "When we put up 10 to 12 hits, we can win and we did that in the West Aurora tournament and ended up winning all three games."
Consecutive singles by the second-, third- and fourth-place hitters in the first generated a solid start for the Panthers, who scored on Clark's single scored freshman center fielder Kirsty Tracy (2-for-3, two runs scored).
"When we score first, the picture is more positive, and backing (the pitcher) up, they're better," Carlson said. "We put a couple of hit and runs on, back-to-back hits, and that helped us a ton."
In the third, the same three hitters delivered the offense, with Tracy - a defensive stronghold in the opening game with two impressive catches - singling to start the inning and sophomore second baseman Brooke Riess (2-for-3 with a run in the second game and 4-for-7 on the day) and Clark muscling out two run-scoring doubles.
All three eventually scored in the frame, with Clark (3-for-3 with two RBIs in the second game and 5-for-6 with two runs on the day) coming around on an RBI single from senior catcher Brandi Riess.
"In the first game, our bats were a little dim, but we woke them up in the second game, which helped me out a lot," Clark said. "It boosted my confidence and gave me a cushion. It made me feel like I had better control."
Oswego tacked on another run on Prentice's RBI double, giving the Panthers the 5-0 score that would end up being the final ledger against the Pirates, who managed only three hits - the first coming in the third - against Clark.
"On the outside pitches, (the umpire) wasn't really calling them, but he was getting the inside ones, and I was able to get a couple strikeouts," said Clark, who had four strikeouts and zero walks in her complete-game shutout.
Clark pitched the Panthers to victory in each of the three games at the Fox Valley Tournament, as well.
"She works the ball around the strike zone really well, she has a nice change-up, and she just competes the whole time," Carlson said. "She just does a nice job; she hits her spots."
After a long Saturday, Oswego returned to the diamond on Tuesday afternoon for another SPC matchup at Plainfield South, but results were unavailable at press time. The team hosts Minooka today, Thursday, at 4:30 p.m. before heading to Yorkville (11-7), from the Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference, on Saturday morning for a doubleheader.
"Teams lose - it happens - but it's good that we come out with a good attitude against each team we play," Clark said.
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