Springfield Softball Team Too Much For Maumee
BY KYLE BORCHERS — MIRROR SPORTS
Springfield pounded Maumee 11-0 in Northern Lakes League softball action in Holland last Wednesday.
The Blue Devils had three players hit two doubles each – junior Lindsey Bandeen, sophomore Fayth Atkins and senior Kaela Alexander.
Bandeen did the most damage with four RBI and three runs scored while going 2-for-2.
Atkins finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Meanwhile, Springfield’s table-setters – senior leadoff hitter Christine Zappone and sophomore No. 2 batter Brittany Richberg – were very effective.
Richberg went 2-for-2 and Zappone was 2-for-3 and both scored twice.
While the Springfield offense was clicking, sophomore pitcher Ashlyn Michalak tossed four shutout innings, allowing only two hits while striking out three and walking none.
Sophomore Krista Haley closed things out in the fifth with the run-rule in effect.
The Blue Devils jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first as Bandeen’s suicide squeeze plated the first run and then she came all the way around to score as the throw to first got past everybody – the ball stopped at the fence in the right field corner.
With two outs in the second, Springfield went up 3-0 on another suicide that Maumee couldn’t handle.
The big inning, though, was the third. Bandeen cracked an RBI double to center to make it 4-0. Next, Haley hit a sacrifice fly to left.
Then, Atkins smacked a two-run double to center for a 7-0 count.
An RBI groundout by sophomore Amanda Schroeder capped off the five-run rally.
In what turned out to be Springfield’s final at-bat in the fourth, Bandeen hit a two-run double just out of the leftfielder’s reach to make it 10-0.
A pinch-hit RBI single up the middle by senior Brittany Krohn ended the scoring.
For Maumee, junior Maddy Takacs went 2-for-2.
Junior Meredith Stanford suffered the loss, allowing eight runs (four earned) on seven hits and no walks while striking out none in three innings.
Aimee Lardinais, another junior, pitched the fourth and gave up four hits and no walks. Lardinais struck out one and all three runs she allowed were earned.
Maumee left four runners on base while Springfield stranded just one.
The Panthers committed three errors to none for the Blue Devils.
Springfield Reaches Base 17 Times In 9-5 Win Over Marion Harding
BY ANDREW ROWER — MIRROR SPORTS
Springfield’s softball team exploded for eight runs in the first two innings of last Thursday’s game against Marion Harding (14-6) and then cruised to a 9-5 win over the Presidents.
After forcing Marion Harding to strand runners on second and third to start the game, the Blue Devils made the Presidents pay for the wasted opportunity by putting up a pair of quick first-inning runs.
Senior second baseman Christine Zappone and sophomore shortstop Brittany Richberg immediately got things started by reaching base on a single and error, respectively.
The duo later scored on a suicide squeeze by sophomore pitcher Krista Haley and another costly Marion Harding error.
The bottom of the second inning saw the most damage as Springfield racked up six more runs while hitting all the way through its batting order.
Sophomore centerfielder Amanda Schroeder led off with a single, moved over to second on a Meagan Price sacrifice bunt and took third on Zappone’s second hit of the afternoon.
Two batters later, junior third baseman Lindsey Bandeen pushed both runners home on a two-out double before the bases were loaded on a pair of walks to Haley and senior first baseman Kaela Alexander.
Bandeen next scored the fifth Blue Devils run on a wild pitch and sophomore leftfielder Jess Zappone plated two more with a single.
Fellow sophomore and rightfielder Fayth Atkins then brought Jess Zappone home on Springfield’s seventh hit in two innings.
Now trailing 8-0, the Presidents finally got on the board in the third inning, scoring on a Lauren McComas double, a wild pitch and a base hit by leftfielder Jamie Holsinger.
Two innings later, Marion Harding made things even more interesting when it scored four additional runs to cut the Blue Devils lead down to four.
Pitcher Dani Feldman began the inning by reaching on Springfield’s first error of the game before moving over to second and third on a Dorian Winters groundout and single by McComas.
The runs eventually all came in with the help of a pair of errors and singles by Holsinger and designated player Becca Price.
Needing to stomp out any momentum that might allow them to let Marion Harding back in the game, the Blue Devils added one more insurance run in the sixth when Haley reached first on an infield single, took second on a wild pitch and scored on the Presidents’ third error of the contest.
Haley also earned the Springfield win by allowing just two earned runs on nine hits and a walk in a complete-game performance in which she struck out a pair of Marion Harding batters.
Haley (walk, sacrifice bunt, two runs and an RBI) was also one of four Blue Devils with multi-hit games.
Joining Haley were Christine Zappone (two runs, stolen base), Jess Zappone (sacrifice bunt, run, two RBI) and Schroeder (run).
Springfield (14-3) totaled 12 hits on the afternoon, with all nine starters reaching base safely.
Kiley Greenwood took the loss after surrendering the 12 hits, three walks and five earned runs over six innings. She struck out three Blue Devils batters.
Feldman (run), McComas (double, walk, two runs, stolen base) and Holsinger (run, two RBI) led the Presidents batters with two hits apiece, despite the loss.
SHS 5, Perrysburg 4
A day earlier, the Blue Devils not only kept their league championship hopes alive, but improved their sectional seeding status with an exciting, seventh inning walk-off win over Perrysburg.
The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Springfield came back to score two in the bottom of the inning.
Christine Zappone started things off with a double and Richberg followed with a single and a stolen base to put runners on second and third.
With both now in scoring position, Haley came through with a two-run single.
Perrysburg came back to tie the game up at 2-2 in the fourth inning and added to its lead with two more in the seventh.
Refusing to give up, the Blue Devils responded by loading the bases on three straight singles from Jess Zappone, Atkins and Schroeder.
Though Yellow Jackets standout hurler Kim Bryson ordered up outs to the next two Springfield batters, Richberg adjusted her swing on a letter-high riseball and lifted it into the outfield for a bases-clearing triple.
Blue Devils coach Rob Gwozdz led an ecstatic Springfield bench in swarming Richberg in celebration of her game-winning hit.
Richberg finished the day with a 3-for-4 performance from the plate.
Ashlyn Michalak earned the win after allowing three earned runs on seven hits. The talented sophomore struck out seven Perrysburg players in the process.
SHS Sectional Draw
With Clay (16-2) getting the nod as the No. 1 seed at Sunday’s sectional draw, the win over the Yellow Jackets proved crucial when Springfield received the No. 2 seed over Anthony Wayne (16-4).
Perrysburg (14-5), Findlay (8-12) and Lima Senior (1-16) took the fourth, fifth and sixth seeds.
The Blue Devils will play the winner of Saturday’s game between Anthony Wayne and Findlay on Tuesday, April 13 in Bowling Green at 5:00 p.m.
Clay will play the winner of Saturday’s game between Perrysburg and Lima Senior on the same day.
These are a couple of articles that ran in The Mirror Newspaper.
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