Softball preview: More experience, speed gives J-L hope
Girls Varsity Softball Season Schedule 2012 |
| Day |
Date |
Time |
Opponent |
| Tue |
Apr 10 |
4:00PM |
|
| Thu |
Apr 12 |
4:00PM |
|
| Fri |
Apr 13 |
4:00PM |
@ Boyne Falls Public School |
| Mon |
Apr 16 |
4:30PM |
@ Mancelona High School ~ CANCELLED |
| Tue |
Apr 17 |
4:00PM |
vs. Mio-Ausable High School |
| Thu |
Apr 19 |
4:30PM |
|
| Mon |
Apr 23 |
4:30PM |
|
| Thu |
Apr 26 |
4:30PM |
|
| Thu |
May 3 |
4:30PM |
vs. Central Lake High School |
| Fri |
May 4 |
4:30PM |
vs. Onaway High School
|
| Sat |
May 5 |
TBA |
Val Kapture Memorial Tournament |
| Mon |
May 7 |
4:00PM |
|
| Thu |
May 10 |
4:30PM |
@ Pellston Public Schools |
| Sat |
May 12 |
TBA |
@ Mio Tournament |
| Mon |
May 14 |
4:30PM |
|
| Thu |
May 17 |
4:30PM |
vs. St. Mary Cathedral Junior Senior High School |
| Mon |
May 21 |
4:30PM |
vs. East Jordan High School |
| Tue |
May 22 |
4:00PM |
vs. Atlanta High School (1 Game Only) |
| Thu |
May 24 |
4:30PM |
@ Harbor Springs |
|
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Hits keep coming for J-L
Gaylord Herald Times
JOHANNESBURG — The Johannesburg-Lewiston softball team continues to come around with a 14-4 and 15-0 doubleheader sweep of Boyne City Monday.
With the wins, the Cardinals improve to 11-10 overall and 6-4 in the Ski Valley Conference.
“We played two excellent games,” said coach Mark Peppin. “We played solidly both defensively and offensively. Hopefully, we are starting to peak.”
The Cardinals rapped out 14 hits in the first game, with Sydney McKenney, Abby Schlicher, Erin Kortman, Sami Banaszak and Nicki Bush each collecting two, and Miranda House, Caitlin Priest, Katie Kierczynski and Hannah Huff each grabbing one.
Kortman drove in three runs, while Priest had two RBIs.
House was the winning pitcher, allowing seven hits and two walks while striking out one.
It was much of the same thing in game two, a three-inning mercy. Bush had a pair of hits, while McKenney had a two-run double and scored twice.
Also collecting hits were Schlicher, Kortman, Priest, Banaszak and Gracie Kierczynski. Priest drove in two with her triple. Schlicher was the winning pitcher, allowing just one hit and one walk.
The Cardinals also competed in Saturday’s Mio Invitational, defeating Au Gres-Sims 18-3 before losing in extra innings to the host Thunderbolts.
J-L hosts St. Mary Thursday.
“The rivalry is what it is and as long as we’re swinging well and playing aggressive, we’ll be OK,” Peppin said.
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J-L softball team splits with Mancelona
GAYLORD HERALD TIMES
MANCELONA — The Johannesburg-Lewiston softball team split a Ski Valley Conference doubleheader against Mancelona Monday, winning the first game 11-2 before dropping the second 11-9.
In game one, Abby Schlicher controlled the Lady Ironmen hitters, allowing just three hits in seven innings while striking out five. “Offensively, we hit the ball hard and took advantage of our base running opportunities,” said J-L coach Mark Peppin.
Miranda House and Caitlin Priest each had two hits, while Sydney McKenney, Erin Kortman, Sami Banaszak and Schlicher also got into the hitting column. Banaszak scored four times, while McKenney had three RBIs. Schlicher, House and Priest each added two RBIs.
The offense continued to hit the ball in the game two loss. Banaszak went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Kortman, Priest and Schlicher each had two hits. Schlicher took the loss in the circle. Peppin praised the excellent offensive output of Banaszak and Kortman, as well as the fine defensive effort of freshman Haley Haase, who is filling in for the injured Hailey Reasner.
The Cardinals are now 8-9 overall and 6-4 in the Ski Valley Conference. They will participate in the Mio Invitational Saturday.
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J-L softball sweeps Inland Lakes
Gaylord Herald Times
JOHANNESBURG — The Johannesburg-Lewiston softball team had a strong doubleheader Thursday against Inland Lakes, winning 13-8 and 16-1.
In the second game, junior Abby Schlicher threw a no-hitter. She allowed three walks while striking out one.
In that game, Katie Kiercynski was 3-for-3 with two doubles, while Caitlin Priest, Miranda House, Hailey Reasner and Schlicher all scored three times.
In the first game, Schlicher also got the win, allowing nine hits and four walks while striking out six.
Sydney McKenney, Nicki Bush and Kierczynski all had three hits, while Schlicher added two. McKenney and Bush each chipped in a pair of stolen bases. J-L is now 7-8 overall
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J-L earns softball sweep against Forest Area
Gaylord Herald Times
FIFE LAKE — The Johannesburg-Lewiston softball team continued to show improvement Monday in a 15-10 and 15-5 road sweep at Forest Area.
Abby Schlicher won the first game. She pitched seven solid innings, giving up six hits and five walks while striking out eight.
Coach Mark Peppin credited catcher Katie Kierczynski for excellent defensive play.
The Cardinals got on base 25 times in the first game. Caitlin Priest went 2-for-3 with five runs and two steals. Kierczynski had a home run and Miranda House, Erin Kortman, Emily Aisthorpe and Schlicher each had two hits. Sydney McKenney added a hit and two runs.
Game two was much the same with House earning the pitching victory. She gave up four hits, one walk and struck out five.
Kortman led the way with three hits. Schlicher and House each had a home run to go with two hits and two runs.
McKenney and Hailey Reasner each had one hit and three runs. In the doubleheader, McKenney swiped a total of seven bases.
J-L improved to 5-6 overall and 3-1 in the Ski Valley Conference.
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J-L softball splits with Bellaire
Gaylord Herald Times
JOHANNESBURG— The Johannesburg-Lewiston softball team split a pair of doubleheaders this week with Mio and Ski Valley Conference rival Bellaire.
The Cardinals (3-6, 1-1 Ski Valley) won the opener against Mio Tuesday, 8-3. Abby Schlicher was the star, giving up just five hits and two walks while striking out five. She also added a pair of hits. Hailey Reasner, Erin Kortman and Miranda House all scored twice. “The team played solid defense,” said coach Mark Peppin. “We’re really starting to run the bases well and are turning a lot of mistakes into extra bases.”
J-L lost the nightcap, 10-3. House pitched well, allowing just five hits and three walks, but the Cardinal defense didn’t support her like they did Schlicher in the previous game.
Sami Banaszak led an otherwise quiet offensive attack with a pair of hits. Hailey Haase, Reasner, Schlicher, House and Kortman added singles.
The Cardinals opened league action Thursday with a close doubleheader. J-L lost the first game, 6-5. Schlicher pitched, allowing seven hits and three walks while striking out five.
“Errors in the field at key moments were the difference in the game,” Peppin said. “Offensively, we did a good job of getting on base and moving around the diamond.”
Reasner was 2-for-3 with a three-run double in the sixth to tie the game. The Cardinals loaded the bases in the seventh with two outs but just missed converting for the victory.
Sydney McKenney, House, Bush and Kortman all added hits. House earned the victory in the second game, a 7-4 win. She gave up four hits and four walks and struck out two.
Peppin credited the victory to J-L’s improved defense by neutralizing Bellaire’s top hitters. From center field, Nicki Bush gunned down the Eagles’ top hitter at home plate late in the game, while Kortman made a heads-up double play in the seventh to end the game. House had two hits and two runs to lead J-L, while Schlicher, Kortman, McKenney and Katie Kierczynski also had hits. Overall, the Cardinals stole 21 bases in the doubleheader. McKenney led the way with five swipes.
The Cardinals return to league action Monday at Forest Area.
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J-L softball drops two in Hillman
Gaylord Herald Times
HILLMAN — The Johannesburg-Lewiston softball team played a solid doubleheader Thursday against Hillman, falling in a pair of close games, 6-5 and 5-3.
J-L (1-4) had the lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning of the opener, but the Tigers took advantage of the only Cardinal error of the game. Still, J-L coach Mark Peppin was happy with how his team played.
“They mercied us twice last year, but this year was a different story as we really played well defensively,” Peppin said. “Sydney McKenney had one of the best catches in the outfield that I’ve seen.”
McKenney also made a dent on offense, collecting a hit, two runs and three stolen bases.
Abby Schlicher added two hits, two runs and two steals, while Sami Banaszak had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Nicki Bush and Katie Kierczynski each added a hit for the Cardinals.
Miranda House saw her first pitching action of the season and had a consistent effort. House allowed seven hits and three walks while striking out one. Schlicher pitched the second game and had another solid effort, giving up seven hits and a walk while striking out six. The offense wasn’t as hot in this game as the Cardinals rapped just five hits. Caitlin Priest had two of those hits while Miranda Kortman, McKenney and Schlicher each had one. “We are much farther ahead at this point compared to last season,” Peppin said.
J-L opens up Ski Valley Conference play at home Thursday against Bellaire.
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Mother Nature prefers to play schedule breaker during spring in Northern Michigan.
This season is no different. Despite the flakes, Johannesburg-Lewiston entertained Rogers City. The Lady Cards put up a losing fight against Rogers City that ended after 5 innings.
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Softball preview: More experience, speed gives J-L hope
By Matt Wenzel, Staff Writer ~ Gaylord Herald Times
JOHANNESBURG — The Johannesburg-Lewiston softball team will look to fill a couple of voids from last year but has plenty of depth to choose from.
The team’s biggest loss is Danielle Hardy, the 2011 Herald Times Area Player of the Year.
“Danielle was one of those key losses ,and we will have some pretty big shoes to fill,” said J-L coach Mark Peppin. “Generally, we had a fairly young team last year so the players we lose will be made up for with a lot of players who are experienced.”
Hardy’s spot will be filled in by both leadership and quickness in the field. “Nicole Bush will run the outfield for us,” Peppin said. “Hardy had a little better arm, but Nicki is faster. I believe she’s one of the fastest players in the league.”
Samantha Banaszak returns to the team as captain again this season. The first basemen is in her senior year looking to continue her consistent play in the field and at the plate.
Bush is J-L’s other captain. Junior Abby Schlicher will take the mound for the Lady Cards as the top hurler. “Abby ended as our No. 1 pitcher last year and will be again this year,” said Peppin. “She was able to gain a lot of experience as a sophomore and that was about her only experience. In her final game, she gave Hillman a run for its money in Districts, and they were impressed.”
Miranda House is another senior who will contribute on the offense and defense at her shortstop position. “Miranda will be a leader for us at shortstop,” Peppin said. “She loves to get dirty — she loves hitting the dirt and works hard for us.”
Other returner's for J-L will be juniors Katie Kierczynski at catcher, Hailey Reasner at third base, Hannah Huff in right field and Sammy Dessoye at third base. Caitlin Priest at second base is the only other senior returning.
Underclassmen also will see playing time this season. Freshman Madison Ewing is a player to watch, Peppin said. “I’m not sure where it will be yet, but she will find her way out there,” Peppin said. Other freshmen include Emily Aisthorpe, Gracie Kierczynski and Hailey Haase.
Sophomore Sydney McKenney will see more time in the outfield, building off a good late season run last year. “She played quite a bit by the end of the year,” said Peppin. “She is short, but fast. (She is) lightning fast.
“Speed is going to be our game. We should be getting to a lot of plays that are normally out of reach, and I expect that to parlay into our base running as well. We are going to force other teams to have to throw us out.”
McKenney is joined by fellow sophomores Miranda Kortman and Erin Kortman on the team. The Lady Cardinals ended the 2011 season on a bit of a down note, losing to Hillman 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
The circumstances of the loss proved that in a small-town school, connections run deep throughout the community. Peppin was unable to attend the game because his wife, J-L volleyball coach Kristine Peppin, had to have emergency back surgery. J-L baseball coach Rick Guild stepped in to coach the girls during the game.
“I know it affected the team,” Peppin said. “Not just because I was absent but because a lot of the girls play volleyball and are very close to my wife. I think if it would have been a normal day, we would have had a better chance.”
When asked what the team goal was for this group, the response from Peppin came quickly. “Win Districts,” he said.
