GRATIOT - Black Hawk sophomore Abby Schiferl's eyes lit up when talking about the hitting parade that became contagious as the Warriors rolled to a 23-2 five inning win over Darlington Friday.
Schiferl went 3 for 5 and had four RBIs to lead the Warriors to a non-conference win.
"I really think we needed this one," Schiferl said. "I knew when I got up to hit it's a lot of pressure because you don't want to strikeout. We were hitting well and pitching well. That set the mood."
The Warriors (2-5, 0-3 Six Rivers East) capitalized on several defensive breakdowns by Darlington. The Redbirds (0-10) committed six errors. The Warriors batted around the order in an eight-run second. The Redbirds committed three of their six errors in the second, including two throwing errors at the plate trying to cut down the lead runner.
Darlington freshman Adria Braley pitched in her first varsity game.
"We probably gave them 20 runs," Darlington coach Tim Lane said. "Adria pitched great in her first game. She just has to have a defense behind her that can field the ball."
After Darlington's Amber Peters tagged out Black Hawk freshman Jen Wellnitz in the first and threw to third for an improbable double play to preserve a 1-0 lead, the defensive miscues mounted.
Black Hawk junior Katie Powers, who was 3 for 4, had an RBI single in the second and senior Melissa Wellnitz also had an RBI single. The big blow came on Schiferl's bloop two-run single to center that gave the Warriors a commanding 8-1 lead.
The Warriors also batted around the order in an 11-run fourth. Jen Wellnitz and senior Kayla Melland each had RBI singles in the fourth. Melissa Wellnitz, who went 2 for 4 with four RBIs, had a three-run single to right in the fourth to give the Warriors a 23-1 lead.
Lane is confident the Redbirds can make the solid defensive plays like they did in the first on the double play.
"You see things like that and think you are not that far away," Lane said. "There is so much potential with this team. It started to unravel and we just couldn't come back."
Melland pitched a complete game and limited the Redbirds to just two runs on five hits. She limited the Redbirds to just two hits through the first four innings and retired nine straight batters. The Redbirds' offense came alive in the fifth when Caitie Chiaverotti came through with an RBI double. Darlington's Jacke Johnson went 2 for 3 to lead the Redbirds. Laura Steiner was 1 for 2 with two stolen bases.
Black Hawk coach Roger Jackson said the biggest stat of the game was that Melland didn't walk a batter.
"It's the first game she hasn't walked anyone," Jackson said. "The big thing is you can't walk people because every time you do they have a great chance of scoring. Walks will kill you."
Melland has taken advantage of the four games that have been postponed. She has been working with Bob Lancaster on her pitching stance and windup so she can consistently throw strikes.
"The extra work is definitely paying off," she said. "We were definitely do for a win."
Schiferl went 3 for 5 and had four RBIs to lead the Warriors to a non-conference win.
"I really think we needed this one," Schiferl said. "I knew when I got up to hit it's a lot of pressure because you don't want to strikeout. We were hitting well and pitching well. That set the mood."
The Warriors (2-5, 0-3 Six Rivers East) capitalized on several defensive breakdowns by Darlington. The Redbirds (0-10) committed six errors. The Warriors batted around the order in an eight-run second. The Redbirds committed three of their six errors in the second, including two throwing errors at the plate trying to cut down the lead runner.
Darlington freshman Adria Braley pitched in her first varsity game.
"We probably gave them 20 runs," Darlington coach Tim Lane said. "Adria pitched great in her first game. She just has to have a defense behind her that can field the ball."
After Darlington's Amber Peters tagged out Black Hawk freshman Jen Wellnitz in the first and threw to third for an improbable double play to preserve a 1-0 lead, the defensive miscues mounted.
Black Hawk junior Katie Powers, who was 3 for 4, had an RBI single in the second and senior Melissa Wellnitz also had an RBI single. The big blow came on Schiferl's bloop two-run single to center that gave the Warriors a commanding 8-1 lead.
The Warriors also batted around the order in an 11-run fourth. Jen Wellnitz and senior Kayla Melland each had RBI singles in the fourth. Melissa Wellnitz, who went 2 for 4 with four RBIs, had a three-run single to right in the fourth to give the Warriors a 23-1 lead.
Lane is confident the Redbirds can make the solid defensive plays like they did in the first on the double play.
"You see things like that and think you are not that far away," Lane said. "There is so much potential with this team. It started to unravel and we just couldn't come back."
Melland pitched a complete game and limited the Redbirds to just two runs on five hits. She limited the Redbirds to just two hits through the first four innings and retired nine straight batters. The Redbirds' offense came alive in the fifth when Caitie Chiaverotti came through with an RBI double. Darlington's Jacke Johnson went 2 for 3 to lead the Redbirds. Laura Steiner was 1 for 2 with two stolen bases.
Black Hawk coach Roger Jackson said the biggest stat of the game was that Melland didn't walk a batter.
"It's the first game she hasn't walked anyone," Jackson said. "The big thing is you can't walk people because every time you do they have a great chance of scoring. Walks will kill you."
Melland has taken advantage of the four games that have been postponed. She has been working with Bob Lancaster on her pitching stance and windup so she can consistently throw strikes.
"The extra work is definitely paying off," she said. "We were definitely do for a win."
