Onekama Softball -- Spring 2009

Cardinals sweep Portagers

By DYLAN SAVELA —News Advocate Sports Writer

It was a sign of things to come when Mason County Eastern’s Courtney Harris hit a two-run shot over the fence during her first at bat against Onekama Thursday night.

“They just kept hitting the ball,” Portagers’ coach Phil Sedelmaier said of the Cardinals’ two-game sweep over Onekama (3-8-1, 0-2). “Chelsea (Miller) did a good job (pitching) but they hit the ball well.”

As for Harris, it was her first over-the-fence home run.

“She was pretty happy,” MCE coach Bill Cole said. “That always helps of course — starting the game out with a two-run lead.”

The Portagers got one run back in the bottom half of the first off an RBI single from Miller, scoring Katie Prielipp who was on base for being hit by a pitch.

But, Onekama would generate just one more hit off the bat of Sherece Revolt, as the Cardinals (7-1, 0-2) crossed the plate 17 more times, ending the game in four innings, 19-1.

“We had seven errors and they had 11 hits,” Sedelmaier said. “It’s hard to win ball games with those numbers.”

In the nightcap, MCE relied on near-perfect pitching to put away the Portagers 8-0.

Freshman Allyssa Bryan threw a no-hitter on the mound and struck out 11 Onekama batters.

“That was her first no hitter,” Cole said. “She threw a one-hitter over the weekend, so she’s pitching well. She’s picking her spots over the plate.”

The Cardinals scored three runs in both the second and third inning, and two in the fourth, which would be enough to hold on for their second victory.

“We need to work on pretty much everything,” Sedelmaier said. “We need to go right back to the fundamentals — catching fly balls, fielding balls in the infield, taking throws to the bases.

“We need to work on our swings too — our mechanics in the box and getting better cuts in there,” He added. “Basically we need to start fresh again.”