Avenging regular season loss to Mountain Lake Area, the Clipper girls advanced in the section playoffs when they topped the visiting Wolverines 9-1 on Wednesday.
The win was due to a combination of small ball, aggressive base running timely hard hits and solid pitching and defense.
“We had more energy for sure, and we hit,” said senior Laci Hollerich, who led the Clipper offense with a single and a double.
“I think the girls felt like we should have won that last game, against Mountain Lake” said head coach Mike Barten. “Plus we had seen them. We knew the top two hitters, a lefty and a slapper, plus the defense was really good with Laci Hollerich making two diving catches to take away those lefties. It was a good team effort”
Facing the starting pitcher that beat the Clippers in Mountain Lake, Keira Schipper led off the first inning with a line drive to right field for a single. Kaitlyn Flowers hit a hard grounder to the shortstop, who didn’t complete the force at second, and everyone was safe.
Wanting to take advantage of the defense, Cassandra Connor dropped down a bunt. It worked. The pitcher didn’t connect with the second baseman, who was covering first. Connor was safe, Schipper scored on the play, and, running for Flowers, Anna Lamont advanced to third.
It was Connor’s first career bunt hit and epitomized the Clippers doing what it took to get the win, Barten said.
“We joked about her bunting before the game, and she actually did it, and it worked perfectly. With her powerful bat, we’re not going to make her bunt too often, but she is one of our best bunters.”
Connors bunt seemed to rattle the Wolverines' defense. With Hollerich up to bat, Connor went for the easy steal but hesitated and headed back to first when the pitcher tossed the ball to second. The second baseman threw to first to try to catch Connor, but the throw was off.
Alert at third, Lamont took off for home, and the first baseman threw the ball to the plate, but the catcher didn’t make the play, Lamont scored, and Connor reached second base anyway. Connor scored on a Hollerich double to put the Clippers in front 3-0 early.
The Wolverines hit back-to-back line-drive singles in the third and then laid down a bunt. Hollerich rushed in to make the diving catch, the first of two she would have in the game, and quickly tossed the ball to first for the force out, but that didn’t work, and the lead runner scored on the error.
The Wolverines couldn’t make the play at first when Taylor McCabe dropped down a bunt to start the third. Schipper followed up with a line drive single. Ava Hahn laid down a sacrifice bunt, and both runners scored when Connor smacked a line drive into left field to put the Clippers in front 5-1.
The Clippers added four more insurance runs in the fifth. Leading off. Greta Hahn dropped a bunt down the third-base line for a single. Lacey McCabe bunted as well, but the putout throw sailed over third base, and Hahn took third on the error.
With the Clippers continuing a game of small ball, Taylor McCabe bunted. The Wolverines tried to catch Hahn at the plate, but she slid under the tag, everyone was safe, and the Clippers led 6-1.
The Wolverines tried to catch Taylor McCabe stealing, but the catcher overthrew second, and Lacey McCabe scored on the play.
After the third baseman couldn’t handle an Ava Hahn grounder, Taylor McCabe took third, and with a Flowers RBI single, the Clippers were comfortably in front 9-1.
The Clippers walked once, struck out twice and totaled eight hits, two more than MLA. Schipper had two singles. The Hahn sisters, Flowers and Connor each had a single.
Flowers went the first six innings in the circle. She allowed five hits and one walk while striking out six. The run in her watch was unearned. Lilly Lamont started the seventh. She gave up one hit and beaned two before the game ended on a flyout to Hollerich at first.
The Clippers are guaranteed two more section games, one at USC today (Thursday) at 5:00 p.m., and one at Caswell on Saturday.
Above: Shortstop Greta Hahn zeros in on a grounder. After a bit of a juggle act, she found a handle on the ball and made the throw to third for the out.
Laci Hollerich makes the second of two diving catches on MLA bunts.
This hit between first and second was just out of reach of Taylor McCabe.
In the circle for the first six innings, Kaitlyn Flowers got the win.