Post by Todd B on Jul 18, 2007 13:13:22 GMT -5
Ida claims Fair softball crown
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No walks allowed.
There must have been a sign in Ida's dugout Tuesday for pitchers Stephanie Iacoangeli and Toni Hughes. No walks, please.
Neither gave up a free pass as Ida beat Mason 7-3 in the championship game of the 34th annual Monroe County Fair Softball Tournament.
It's amazing for pitchers at this age level (12-under) not to walk anyone. To accomplish that in a pressure situation in front of a huge crowd in an extra-inning game is almost unheard of.
"They've pitched some great games, but we've never had one when they didn't walk a batter,'' Ida manager Rich Zeiler said.
Iacoangeli pitched like she had never pitched before. Then Hughes took over and was just as effective, allowing Ida to win the game even though it didn't have a hit.
"There was a lot of pressure, but we handled it well,'' Hughes said. "The coach said just throw strikes. I was trying to hit my spots and most of them worked.''
"Coach told me to throw hard and to the glove and that's what I was trying to do,'' Iacoangeli said.
"That's the best she's pitched. She was lights out,'' Zeiler said of Iacoangeli, who gave up two hits and struck out six during the first three innings.
Hughes worked the next four frames, giving up three hits.
Ashley Stotz, who was behind the plate, said she had never seen Ida's pitchers with such control.
"We've had our off days and our on days. Today they were definitely on,'' she said.
Stotz plays right field or first base in Ida's regular league. She became a catcher for the Fair team and settled into the new position nicely.
"She does a really good job. I have a lot of confidence in her,'' Hughes said.
"She's a sparkplug. I'd take 12 players like her any day,'' Zeiler said.
The Ida manager didn't realize his team didn't have a hit until someone told him after the game.
"In U-12, if you put the ball in play, something's usually going to happen,'' he said.
Ida scored two early runs on an error. Mason got one on a single by Emily Ritzenthaler and an RBI double by Jaylyn McGarry. It tied the game when Taylor Miller singled and eventually scored on a dropped throw.
Fair games normally are six innings, but this one was 2-2 until the seventh. Ida scored five in the top of the inning on a hit batter, a walk, two errors, two fielder's choices that failed to retire anyone, a wild pitch and a passed ball.
Mason got one back in the bottom of the inning on Kellsie Cousino's RBI single.
Mason hadn't been in the Fair tourney since 2004. When Deana Vanderpool took over as Mason's varsity coach in the spring, she made sure the program would be represented.
"I couldn't believe they didn't have a Fair team,'' Vanderpool said.
Jessica Camper and McGarry, who live in Erie but had pitched Custer to the 2006 Fair championship, were part of a team that became the last unbeaten before losing twice to Ida this week.
"Mason is a very good team,'' Zeiler said. "But we peaked in the Carleton tournament and kept it up here.''
Camper, McGarry and Ritzenthaler combined on the no-hitter.
July 18, 2007