Hawks earn 7th straight softball win

April 27, 2008
Farmington Observer / By Dan O'Meara

Farmington Harrison extended its softball winning streak to seven games Thursday with an 11-0 rout of visiting Madison Heights Lamphere.

The Rams had just two hits off winning pitcher Michelle Westcott, who struck out six and, once more, didn't walk anybody.

The Hawks, who are 8-7-1 overall, had just six hits but benefitted from a lot of passed balls and mistakes by the Lamphere defense.

Arisa Nagasaka was 2-for-2 with two RBI on a sacrifice fly and a double. She also scored a pair of runs.

Bianca Vasovski hit a two-run triple in the sixth inning to invoke the mercy rule and end the game. Liz Slatin had a double and scored a run.

"Our goal was to go 5-and-0 this week, and we met that goal," Harrison coach Kristen Zabalavicius said. "We went into the week 1-7-1 and came out 8-7-1.

"My girls are really focused on improving and executing. Now that they know what it feels like to win, they're really moving forward. They're not as willing to give up that win as easily as they were before."

HARRISON 9-9, GROVES 2-8: The Hawks won their fifth and sixth consecutive games and improved their record to 2-3-1 in the OAA Division II Wednesday with a sweep of the visiting Falcons.

In the second game, Harrison scored a run in the top of the seventh inning and broke an 8-8 deadlock. Groves was the home team in the nightcap.

The Hawks loaded the bases with no outs. Emma Williams started the inning with a single to left and scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly by Kelly Willhoft.

Liz Slatin, Erin McConnell and Bianca Vasovski were 3-for-4. Slatin scored three runs and had one RBI; Williams, who had two hits and two runs, and McConnell knocked in two runs each, and Vasovski and McConnell counted a double among their hits.

Harrison pitcher Michelle Westcott allowed 10 hits and five earned runs, but she limited the walks to one and struck out five.

In the first game, Westcott struck out seven and didn't give up a walk; she held Groves to four hits.

"Saturday in the South Lyon Invitational, we went 2-1 and she pitched great there as well," coach Kristen Zabalavicius said. "She's coming on strong.

"Last year we were 0-3 at that tournament, and this year we walked away 2-1. We're definitely hitting the ball better as well."

In the first game Wednesday, Williams was 2-for-4, scored two runs and had two RBI; Willhoft was 2-for-3, batted in three runs and scored once, and Vasovski was 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored.

"My kids finally get what it feels like to win," Zabalavicius said. "They're just more confident. We're improving every game, and that's what we want to do."

HARRISON 3-11, JOHN GLENN 1-0: Michelle Westcott, the winning pitcher in both games, held the visiting Rockets to four hits in the doubleheader Tuesday and didn't walk a batter in 12 innings.

She pitched a one-hit shutout in the nightcap, which ended in a five-inning mercy. Westcott had seven strikeouts in the first game and four in the second.

Harrison had 19 hits on the day; the 13 in the second game included two apiece by Emily Lalonde, Bianca Vasovski, Liz Slatin, Emily Sirovy and Emma Williams.

Lalonde and Vasovski were 2-for-4, the others 2-for-3. All but Lalonde (one) scored two runs.

Vasovski hit a triple and had one RBI; Williams had three stolen bases, a double and a two-run single, and Slatin and Sirovy had single RBI.

In the first game, Erin McConnell was 2-for-3 with a double and a run, and Sirovy had an RBI single.