Sabers take two from Portagers, May 7

Onekama’s Elizabeth Bergren (left) prepares to make a tag on Manistee Catholic Central’s Jodi Janowiak (2) on Tuesday. (Dylan Savela/News Advocate)

ONEKAMA — With two series in as many days, Manistee Catholic Central is finally starting to make up for the time lost to a rainy April.

And with their second straight sweep Tuesday, the Sabers appear to be entering May in mid-season form.

“We’re finally starting to get a little more in sync now with playing more than we are sitting,” said MCC coach Dave Lijewski after his team’s 9-2 and 7-3 non-West Michigan D League wins over Onekama. “The more we play, the better we’ll get and winning while we’re doing it is a plus.”

Alysha Heck led the Sabers (7-1) past the Portagers (7-4), falling just a single shy of the cycle in the opener.

“Today (the key) was mostly our hitting,” Lijewski said. “We’ve been working on it, and Alysha was really the big bat. She was smacking it around, seeing it good and hitting it good.”

Heck started the series with a double, triple, and solo homer over the center field fence while racking up three RBIs to lead the way in the opener. Haley Doyle had two hits with an RBI, and Jodi Janowiak had a pair of hits.

 

MCC scored a pair of runs in the first, three in the fourth, one in the fifth, and three more in the sixth. Amber Robke held the Onekama bats in check by going the distance, allowing a run apiece in the third and sixth off six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.

Onekama’s Emily Bergren had two strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings before being relieved by Ashley Kubiskey who fanned a pair of batters. At the plate, Madeleine Smeltzer and Hailey Kott each knocked a double in the contest, while Elizabeth Bergren had a hit and a run scored.

“Our bats have kind of been up and down, and today they were kind of quiet,” said Portagers coach Rob Johnson. “I told the girls that we can’t accept that level of play.

“If we’re going to make a run in conference or districts, we need to step up in big games and big situations.”

In the nightcap, the Portagers scored some early runs steadily with one apiece in the first three innings, but the Sabers were right there to respond in bulk.

MCC scored two in the first and four in the second to take a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Heck and Doyle had two hits apiece while Hannah Janicki and Janowiak each had a hit and an RBI while Sydney Arendt knocked a double.

Arendt was also the winning pitcher with a strikeout in a three-inning start before being relieved by Robke who also had a strikeout in three frames.

For Onekama, Kubiskey allowed eight hits with a strikeout in the circle while Elizabeth Bergren had a pair of doubles with two runs scored to lead the way at the plate. Courtney LeSarge had a double and an RBI.

“The lucky thing is we weren’t playing league games today, but we saw some things we’ll have to adjust,” Johnson said of seeing the Sabers again on Monday in West Michigan D League play. “When we have runners on the bases, we need to be able to put the bat on the ball with some authority.”

Photos may be coming  
     
     
   
GIRLS SOFTBALL ROSTER

# 11 Bergren, Elizabeth (12)
# 6 Bergren, Emily (12)
# 5 Fitch, Kaylan (12)
# 8 Karlsdottor, Martina (12)
#27 Roider, Jessica (12)
#3 Humes, Brittany (11)
# 9 Kubiskey, Kaitlin (11)
# 1 Warner, Sierra (11)
#13 Bowers, Kirsten (10)
#10 DeWitt, Kaylor (10)
#34 Gilbert, Hanah (10)
#4 Kott, Hailey (10)
#7 Kott, Tawny (10)
#0 Smeltzer, Madeline (10)
 

ROSTER, CONTINUED

#2 Solis, Daniella (10)
#12 Clarke, Alyssan (9)
# 22 Kubiskey, Ashley (9)
# 14 LeSarge, Courtney (9)
#15 Gramza, Keegan (9)
#23 Welch, Alexa (9)

Coach: Rob Johnson
Assistant Coach: Shelli Johnson
and Amber Silk
Manager: Mikayla Spearman

 

www.onekama.k12.mi.us Serving Onekama School since 1997