By RICHIE HALL
LAPEL – While the Hamilton Heights softball team has gotten off to a rough start this spring, Huskies coach Ken Olovich isn’t hitting the panic button.
Instead, Olovich is reminding everyone of what happened two seasons ago. Heights got off to a slow start, then made a turnaround during the second half of its campaign, going 10-4 in its last 14 games of the year.
“And I fully expect we’ll do the same thing this year, as long as we can bring this kind of energy and really buy into that mentality of come and steal outs,” said Olovich.
The coach was speaking after the Huskies dropped a 10-0 game at Lapel in six innings on Friday. The Bulldogs, one of the top teams in Class 2A, allowed Heights only two hits while getting 12 of their own.
The Huskies actually had the first hit of the game, when Ashlyn Fletcher sent a two-out single into right field in the top of the second inning. Heights threatened to score when pinch runner Natalie Newman made her way to third base, but a strikeout ended the inning.
Lapel got its first run in the bottom of the second, then made it 2-0 in the third when Ashlynn Allman hit a solo home run. The Bulldogs then poured in five runs in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead.
“We’re trying to stay out of the big inning,” said Olovich. “We’re talking about how we can steal outs and again, just stay out of the big inning by taking that mentality of coming after every ball. And I think the energy’s good. I totally know we’re going to turn this around. I’m more excited about winning in May, not so much in March.”
The Huskies held off Lapel in the fifth inning after the Bulldogs loaded the bases; freshman Lilly Roush made a center field catch to get the third out. Sydney Massicotte then hit a two-out single in the top of the sixth.
Lapel ended the inning by catching a pop-out to shortstop. In the top of the seventh, the Bulldogs scored two runs on a double by Chloe Tucker, then Madi Carpenter’s single drove in the 10th run, giving Lapel the run-rule victory.
Despite the lopsided score, there were some defensive highlights. Hayley Greene got two big outs in the third inning, and Kassidy Schenkel had some big catches as well.
“We had some nice plays today,” said Olovich. “We had some nice plays in the outfield, some good plays in the infield. We’re a young team. We’ll get it.”
The Huskies are 0-3 and will take a couple weeks off for Spring Break, then return to action April 8 by hosting Anderson.
LAPEL 10, HAMILTON HEIGHTS 0
(6 innings)
Heights AB R H RBI
Lily Roush 2 0 0 0
Isabella Neiling 3 0 0 0
Sydney Massicotte 3 0 1 0
Elizabeth Poisson 0 0 0 0
Kelsie Albright 3 0 0 0
Alayna Baber 2 0 0 0
Hayley Greene 2 0 0 0
Ashlyn Fletcher 2 0 1 0
Natalie Newman 0 0 0 0
Stephanie Spicer 2 0 0 0
Kassidy Schakel 2 0 0 0
Kaylee Rhoton 0 0 0 0
Totals 21 0 2 0
Score by Innings
Heights 000 000 – 0 2 4
Lapel 011 503 – 10 12 1
SB: Roush. HBP: Greene.
Heights pitching IP R ER H
Albright 5.1 7 6 8
Neiling 0.0 3 3 3
Roush 0.1 0 0 1
Strikeouts: Roush 1. Walks: Albright 1, Neiling 1.