U-16 Energy romps Park City
Saturday, July 21, 2007
It took two innings for the Emporia U-16 Energy players to get a read on Park City Power pitcher Kaleigh Cross in Friday night’s ASA State tournament first-round game, and once they did, the Energy players never let up.
Emporia broke open the floodgates against Cross in the third inning, turning a scoreless game at the time into an eventual 18-0 run-rule shutout in just four innings.
In the first two frames, Emporia managed just one hit. In the final two innings, the Energy pounded out 15 hits and sent a total of 28 batters to the plate, scoring seven runs in the third and a whopping 11 in the fourth.
“We got through the first part of the lineup and we’d seen her (Cross). We were ready for what she had,” said Cassandra Huth, who went 2-for-2 with a walk, three runs scored and an RBI. “We were used to her speed, and she had a weird windup. She double-clutched, and it was hard to get your timing down at first, but after we saw her, we were ready for it.”
When the Emporia offense got going in the third, it was made even more impressive by the fact that all seven Energy runs were scored with two outs.
Huth singled to start the inning, and after Sam Torres and Lydia Roemer each grounded out, Emporia had a stretch of nine consecutive batters reach base. The Energy got singles from Katie Weaver, Lauren Kimble, Lacie Schumann, Chris Zumbrum, Huth (2), and Sam Torres, while Briana Talkington and Hannah Lynch each drew walks.
Emporia also benefited from six stolen bases.
“The first couple of innings, they played us pretty tough,” Emporia coach Jeff Lynch said, “but we broke the bats out ... and we ran the bases real good and had some great stolen bases and delayed steals, and that put a lot of pressure on them.”
The inning ended when Roemer struck out with Emporia holding a 7-0 advantage.
Emporia’s offensive might in the third inning alone was more than enough for Energy starter Hannah Lynch, who struggled at times — she walked seven batters — but still finished with six strikeouts and allowed no hits and no runs in three innings of work.
After Emporia built its 7-0 lead, Lynch struck out the first two batters of Park City’s half of the third inning before loading the bases on three straight walks. She slammed the door shut on the threat when she snagged a low-hit comebacker for the third out of the frame.
“I guess my control, I just kind of lost it because I was getting frustrated with the strike zone,” Hannah Lynch said. “After a while, my teammates comforted me, and I felt I did pretty good.”
As powerful as the Energy bats were in the third, they were even more so in the fourth.
Emporia — which nearly batted around the order twice — plated 11 runs in the frame highlighted a two-RBI double from Schumann — the only extra-base hit of the game. In all, Emporia knocked out another eight hits, while Park City helped the Energy’s cause with four fielding errors that led to five more runs for Emporia.
“Whenever we start going like that and everyone hits like that... it’s a blast when that happens,” Hannah Lynch said.
The scoring deluge ended when Huth stepped off the bag at third too early in what appeared to be an intentional move.
Huth came on in relief of Lynch in the fourth inning and tossed a scoreless frame to preserve the shutout and the no-hitter.
Emporia advanced in the winner’s bracket, where it was to play the Sunflower Sluggers at 8 this morning at Whittier Park.
“We’ve got a lot of tough teams here,” Jeff Lynch said. “There are three or four really good teams here that we’re going to have to get past to get to the championship.”
ASA State Tournament
Emporia Energy 18, Park City 0
Emporia 007 (11)XX X — 18 15 2
Park City 000 0XX X — 0 0 5
W — Hannah Lynch. L — Kaleigh Cross.
Emporia highlights — Lacie Schumann 3-for-4, 2B, 2R, 3 RBI, SB; Hannah Lynch 2-for-2, 2 SB, 2R, 2 BB, RBI; Chris Zumbrum 3-for-4, 2R, 4 RBI, 2 SB.