News Progress

Photo by Keith Stewart
Sullivan third baseman Kailyn Boyer tries to make the putout at first with a throw over older sister Brittin.

Unearned runs compound in loss

April 1, 2015

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

The only thing louder than senior Brittin Boyer’s pre-game chant Tuesday were the four errors by the Lady Red against Tuscola, whether it be a missed flyout or a grounder getting underneath a glove. The errors and lack of hustle at times helped account for six of the Warriors 10 runs as Tuscola defeated Sullivan 10-3.
“I’ve got four earned runs on the day today for them. You can attribute it to spring break and not being up and doing something. You can attribute it to nerves, playing these guys for the first time. We know we’ve got them in the regional. We know we’re going to see them probably three times this year. We just didn’t come out focused,” said head coach Ben Richter. “That first inning, letting three runs in off little flare hits that we routinely make plays on and then the floodgates opened from there, and they just chipped away, chipped away with their bunts and moving people around. And they’re a good team. They had 13 hits to our seven. But whenever their hit that is a single turns into a double or a triple, because we’re not making plays on the ball, you’re not going to win games like that.” Read More

Photo by Keith Stewart
Windsor/Stew-Stras' Kendall Knop makes the tag-out at second on Okaw Valley's Paige Robinson Thursday evening.

After a week of cancelled games, OV stays hungry

March 27, 2015
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
It may have been a blustery, cold evening in Windsor Thursday, but it only gave reason for third baseman Kayla Wheeler to bust a few dance moves in between Amanda McClain’s solid seventh inning pitches. Just a half inning before, Wheeler’s slap play helped senior Paige Harlin get to third base, and from there, Harlin tempted Windsor/Stew-Stras’ catcher to try and throw her out on each of the following pitches, advancing 10 or so feet down the line before finally walking back to the bag, smile streaked across her face. On the fourth, a wild ball low got away from Bayleigh Tabor, and the cheeky senior did more than threaten as she ran for the plate to score OV’s final run in their 10-0 victory over the Comets.
And Thursday’s victory resembled that of their season opener against Paris a week ago Wednesday, which also marked the last time the team played thanks to periodic rains canceling three games in between.
As in their 7-2 win over Paris, OV once again did most of their offensive damage in the first two innings, though this time it amounted to seven runs.
With one out in the first, Paige Robinson got things going with a walk. Senior Amy Orris then struck out, but Harlin then laced a single to left field to put runners at first and second. Freshman Natalie Jeffers drove the two in with a triple to the left center gap. Wheeler followed with a single to left to score Jeffers, and then Jessica Robinson made it a fourth consecutive hit with an RBI triple down the third base line to put OV up 4-0. Read More

Photo by Keith Stewart
Amy Orris eyes a pitch last Wednesday evening in Bethany. Orris had two solid at-bats to bring in a couple of the Timberwolves’ runs.

Solid defensive outing goes the duration

March 25, 2015

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Okaw Valley’s bats were hot to start, but their gloves were warm all evening long last Wednesday when the Lady Timberwolves opened the season at home with a 7-3 win over Paris.
The strong supporting cast was behind pitcher Amanda McClain for all seven innings, committing just one error that helped lead to one of the Tigers three runs. As for McClain, going the distance included two earned runs, six hits, five strikeouts, and four walks. Perhaps her most impressive stat was the 135 pitches she threw, all of which from the first to the last, made the glove of catcher Natalie Jeffers shed dust.
“I think she’s an experienced pitcher who will definitely battle, battle, battle,” said OV head coach Dave Benning. “What I saw late in the game is that she started to rely too much on her arm, kind of getting out of rhythm and losing her stride, but she definitely pitched well today considering not getting a whole lot of reps in preseason being a two-sport athlete. I was very pleased with her effort. We certainly don’t want Amanda throwing much more over a 100 pitches, and the same would go for Maddie Perrine or even Grace Harlin,” noted Benning. “We need to be more efficient. Not work deep into the counts.”
OV got the scoring started in their half of the first after McClain led off with a single to shallow center field. McClain would steal second  and then be brought home on Amy Orris’ double to the left field wall. Read More

Hagerman tallies 14 strikeouts in win

March 25, 2015

By Matt Kracht
NP Sports Reporter

Two area aces faced off Wednesday in Bethany, and the results were a predictably low scoring affair that batters on both sides would like to forget.
Peyton Hagerman threw seven innings of one hit one run ball for the Timberwolves while striking out 14 batters in a virtually unhittable performance.  Okaw Valley’s head coach Andrew Hagerman was upbeat after the win by the character shown by his team.
“This win shows that we are a veteran team with a lot of character,” said Hagerman. “We had two starters from last year get sick at school today, so we were short two players, and we still manned up and made it happen.” Read More