Portagers bounce back, split with Panthers
By Dylan Savela,
Manistee News Advocate
April 12, 2012
ONEKAMA — Down 3-0 after the first four innings against Frankfort Thursday, Onekama was looking for a spark.
A three-run fifth to knot the score might have been it. Though they eventually lost that contest 5-3, the Portagers used the late-game momentum to mercy the Panthers 21-11 in the nightcap for a series split.
“Our bats started coming around at the end of the opener and that just continued into the second game,” said first-year Onekama coach Rob Johnson. “We built a ton of confidence that first game I think. You could kind of see it in their faces.
“It was like they came so close, knew they could play with this team, and the momentum kind of just carried right into the first inning (of the nightcap). We got Frankfort back on their heels pretty quick.”
In the opener, the Panthers scored a run in the first and two in the third, while Onekama was slow to find its rhythm at the plate.
Johnson, however, said he was impressed with his team defensively. “This was our opener, facing a team with six games under their belt already,” he explained. “So, that’s always a challenge in itself. But I was really proud of the way the girls came out and played defense.