Manchester Softball Team Beats Whitko
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Posting 18 hits, the Lady Squires defeated the Lady Wildcats 13-5, improving to 11-6 overall and 3-2 in the Three Rivers Conference.[[In-content Ad]]"We take a lot of pride in our hitting," Manchester coach Todd Volk said. "We're not one of those teams that's going to knock it out of the park, but we know if we put the ball in play, something good's going to happen."
The Lady Squire who exemplified that mindset the most was freshman Kalene Freshour, who went 5 for 5, scoring four times.
"That's the way she's been all year," Volk said of Freshour, who's hitting an even .500 this season. "Defensively, when you have a fast batter up there, it just puts a little more pressure on you. You know you can't make that bobble. We have that, pretty much, up and down the lineup."
While all five of Freshour's hits were singles, sophomore Meika Kennedy brought a little more punch, going 2 for 3 with two doubles and three runs scored and freshman Kayla Flack went 3 for 5 with a double and four RBIs.
The Squires got the scoring started in the first, with Freshour and sophomore Hannah Little scoring on a two-out error and Flack then driving in junior Erika Milam, who had reached on the error.
Down 3-0, Whitko did score in the bottom of the frame, but after giving up five runs in the third, the Wildcats (6-11, 2-3 TRC) couldn't fight back.
"We lost it because of mental errors, and we talked about that after the game," Whitko coach Jamilyn PeGan said. "Knowing where the next play is, not making bad throws. We just needed to stop on some plays, regroup and focus on the next one."
Defensively, Whitko committed three errors, but keeping the Lady Squires from advancing to second on singles to the outfield was a problem all game.
At the plate, sophomore Jill VanHoozen went 2 for 4 with a triple and two RBIs, as Whitko did get 10 hits off of Manchester senior pitcher Jama Runkel.
"We were hitting the ball hard, but we just couldn't move the runners," PeGan said. "We also had some mental errors baserunning - getting picked off with Manchester's getting throws. We're trying to learn from the mistakes."
Despite giving up the 10 hits, Runkel did pitch all seven innings, surrendering just two earned runs and striking out six.
Manchester hosts Northfield today at 5 p.m. then plays Tippecanoe Valley Friday before getting set for next week's Northfield Sectional. Manchester got the bye in the tournament, playing Wabash Tuesday with the winner going on to the championship game.
"Coaching-wise, we feel pretty good, because every time we step on the field, we're getting better," Volk said. We're also learning."
"We have a decent draw, and anything can happen in the sectional," he added.
MANCHESTER 13, WHITKO 5
M 305 101 3 - 13 18 4
W 103 001 0 - 5 10 3
Jama Runkel (W, 7IP, 5R, 2ER, 10H, 6K, 3BB) and Kayla Flack; Kaylee Arnold (L, 3IP, 8R, 5ER, 9H, 1K), Karissa Olinske (4, 4IP, 5R, 5ER, 9H, 3BB, 1HB) and Audra Day
2B - Meika Kennedy (M) 2, Flack (M), Kaylee Watson (M), Amber Blankenship (W)
3B - Jill VanHoozen (W)
Records: Manchester 11-6 (3-2 TRC), Whitko 6-11 (2-3 TRC)
JV - Whitko 9, Manchester 5
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Posting 18 hits, the Lady Squires defeated the Lady Wildcats 13-5, improving to 11-6 overall and 3-2 in the Three Rivers Conference.[[In-content Ad]]"We take a lot of pride in our hitting," Manchester coach Todd Volk said. "We're not one of those teams that's going to knock it out of the park, but we know if we put the ball in play, something good's going to happen."
The Lady Squire who exemplified that mindset the most was freshman Kalene Freshour, who went 5 for 5, scoring four times.
"That's the way she's been all year," Volk said of Freshour, who's hitting an even .500 this season. "Defensively, when you have a fast batter up there, it just puts a little more pressure on you. You know you can't make that bobble. We have that, pretty much, up and down the lineup."
While all five of Freshour's hits were singles, sophomore Meika Kennedy brought a little more punch, going 2 for 3 with two doubles and three runs scored and freshman Kayla Flack went 3 for 5 with a double and four RBIs.
The Squires got the scoring started in the first, with Freshour and sophomore Hannah Little scoring on a two-out error and Flack then driving in junior Erika Milam, who had reached on the error.
Down 3-0, Whitko did score in the bottom of the frame, but after giving up five runs in the third, the Wildcats (6-11, 2-3 TRC) couldn't fight back.
"We lost it because of mental errors, and we talked about that after the game," Whitko coach Jamilyn PeGan said. "Knowing where the next play is, not making bad throws. We just needed to stop on some plays, regroup and focus on the next one."
Defensively, Whitko committed three errors, but keeping the Lady Squires from advancing to second on singles to the outfield was a problem all game.
At the plate, sophomore Jill VanHoozen went 2 for 4 with a triple and two RBIs, as Whitko did get 10 hits off of Manchester senior pitcher Jama Runkel.
"We were hitting the ball hard, but we just couldn't move the runners," PeGan said. "We also had some mental errors baserunning - getting picked off with Manchester's getting throws. We're trying to learn from the mistakes."
Despite giving up the 10 hits, Runkel did pitch all seven innings, surrendering just two earned runs and striking out six.
Manchester hosts Northfield today at 5 p.m. then plays Tippecanoe Valley Friday before getting set for next week's Northfield Sectional. Manchester got the bye in the tournament, playing Wabash Tuesday with the winner going on to the championship game.
"Coaching-wise, we feel pretty good, because every time we step on the field, we're getting better," Volk said. We're also learning."
"We have a decent draw, and anything can happen in the sectional," he added.
MANCHESTER 13, WHITKO 5
M 305 101 3 - 13 18 4
W 103 001 0 - 5 10 3
Jama Runkel (W, 7IP, 5R, 2ER, 10H, 6K, 3BB) and Kayla Flack; Kaylee Arnold (L, 3IP, 8R, 5ER, 9H, 1K), Karissa Olinske (4, 4IP, 5R, 5ER, 9H, 3BB, 1HB) and Audra Day
2B - Meika Kennedy (M) 2, Flack (M), Kaylee Watson (M), Amber Blankenship (W)
3B - Jill VanHoozen (W)
Records: Manchester 11-6 (3-2 TRC), Whitko 6-11 (2-3 TRC)
JV - Whitko 9, Manchester 5
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