Tuesday, May. 19, 2009

Pierce delivers walk-off as ONW softball returns to state

Amy Pierce wasn't familiar with the term “walk-off hit” before Olathe Northwest's softball team squared off Tuesday with Free State for a regional championship at the College Boulevard Activity Center.

Fortunately for the top-seeded and undefeated Ravens, knowing the term isn't a prerequisite for delivering a walk-off hit.

Pierce, a junior shortstop, broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the seventh when she cracked the game-winning RBI single to deep center over Firebird Maggie Hull's head. The drive plated freshman Maddie Lovsky for a 3-2 win.

“What is that?” Pierce queried when asked when she last had a walk-off hit. “Sorry, I don't know what that means.”

When it was explained to her, a gleeful Pierce said it was the first walk-off she could remember — and she picked quite a time for it as the rocket shot clinched ONW's second consecutive berth in the Kansas 6A state tournament.

“That's really nice,” said Pierce, who also singled and scored the game-tying run in the third as the Ravens erased the first deficit they had faced all season.

ONW didn't look exactly like the squad that dominated the Sunflower League during the first couple innings as senior ace Hannah Dale was cuffed around for a run and two hits in each of the stanzas.

She hit Free State leadoff batter Rosie Hull with a pitch and then surrendered consecutive singles in the first inning.

In the second, Ali Ice led off with a bloop single to left and Rosie Hull crunched an RBI triple to deep right as the Firebirds grabbed an early 2-0.

Dale shrugged her shoulders and looked to Ravens coach Mark Mahoney in the dugout with a dismayed expression following Hull's towering three-bagger.

“I threw a drop ball that pitch and it was the only drop ball I threw the whole game,” Dale said. “But the drop didn't really drop, so I was just frustrated with myself. I knew it was regionals and if we lost it would be our last game of the season and my last game ever as a Raven. I was just very frustrated at that point.”

But when freshman Peyton Jones reached on a two-out error and scored on Lovsky's line-drive RBI single up the middle, ONW — and Dale specifically — gained new life.

Dale struck out the side in the third, beginning a run of 11 consecutive Free State outs by strikeout.

Pierce scored on senior Chantelle Dietz's RBI double up the right-field line in the bottom of the third, tying the game. But the inning also brought about more adversity for the the Ravens.

Dietz slid into home on a force play later in the inning and was ejected from the game for trying to take out catcher Lauren Fox, the umpire ruled.

“I can't argue that call, because he's behind the plate and I can't make him mad,” Mahoney said. “Is it questionable? Yeah, but Kayla Morse did a good job when she stepped in and Chantelle stayed in the game. She cheered the team on and was ready to go.”

Even that shakeup, which plugged Morse into right field and the cleanup spot in the batting order and also moved junior Victoria Toplikar from right to center field, didn't shake up the Ravens.

Dale, who finished with 17 strikeouts, continued to deal. She allowed a leadoff single in the fourth but retired the next 12 batters as the game remained tied into the bottom of the seventh.

“I think I just got mad,” Dale said. “I was giving up base hits, so it's not like it was the team's fault. But I just got mad.”

For a team unaccustomed to trailing, Mahoney liked the resolve the girls showed.

“That was the first time we've been down all year long by any runs,” he said. “We've been tied a couple times, but that struck me when we were down 1-0 in the first inning. I was interested to see how we were going to rally back.”

His Ravens' finally response came in walk-off fashion.

Lovsky singled to right, narrowly missed being thrown out on the play by a hard-charging Hull and eventually took second when the ball skipped free on the infield.

“I was nervous, but I was also pumped because I knew we needed some runs,” said Lovsky, who became a staple in the Ravens lineup just a few weeks ago. “I was not ready for the right fielder to come in like that, so the coaches got on me, but luckily it worked out.”

Sophomore Kristi Lee followed with an eight-pitch at-bat, which included four balls fouled out of play, before dropping a single perfectly between short and third base.

With runners on the corners and no outs, Free State drew the outfield in for a potential play at the plate and Pierce simply stroked the ball to the fence.

Game over — let Mahoney's adrenaline-fueled, fist-pumping twirl down the third-base line commence. Oh, and bring on the ice-water bath.

“We thought it might not be our day for a little bit in the second inning, but we're all really confident in each other and that makes us a better team,” Pierce said. “We just stuck together.”

Guaranteed the No. 1 seed at state, ONW, 22-0, opened regional play with a 4-0 win against Lawrence.

Lee had a two-run single in the second, while Lee added an RBI double and Pierce followed with an RBI single in the fourth.

Sophomore Jacinda Ramos struck out six in a one-hit shutout.

2009 Kansas 6A regional softball

Olathe Northwest regional

at the College Boulevard Activity Center

First round

Free State 8, Topeka 0

Olathe Northwest 4, Lawrence 0

Championship

Olathe Northwest , Free State

Line scores

First round

OLATHE NORTHWEST 4, LAWRENCE 0

LAW (1-20) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 1 1

ONW (21-0) 0 2 0 2 0 0 x — 4 10 1

Lauren Massey and Kristen Bell. Jacinda Ramos and Carrie Wilson. W — Ramos (11-0). L — Massey.

Regional championship

OLATHE NORTHWEST 3, FREE STATE 2

FS (9-13) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 2 5 1

ONW (22-0) 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 — 3 10 0

Megan Smith and Lauren Fox. Hannah Dale and Carrie Wilson. W — Dale (11-0). L — Smith.

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