SOFTBALL: Inter-City edges Shrine for regional crownPublished: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 in the Downriver News Herald
By Shane Preston
The Inter-City Chargers kept their softball season alive Saturday with two victories that earned them a regional title and advanced them to the Division 4 state quarterfinals.
Inter-City beat host Lutheran Westland 8-5 in the opening round and they edged Royal Oak Shrine 2-1 in the title game.
In the opener, Westland led 1-0 going into the fourth, but the Chargers soared ahead with three runs in the fourth, four in the fifth, and one more in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
Katie Hugan pitched six innings for the victory, allowing one run and one hit while striking out seven.
Ashley Raburn paced the Charger offense with three hits and three RBIs. Casey Thomas collected two hits and two RBIs while Corynne Claypool had two hits.
Inter-City then found itself in a pitcher's duel with Royal Oak Shrine.
In the top of the first inning, Claypool recorded all three outs for Inter-City's defense as she threw out two players on swinging bunts and picked a runner off first after she reached on a two-out single.
Claypool then helped manufacture one of the game's only runs in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff single, a stolen base, and a run on an infield groundout by Jillian Kraatz.
Hugan avoided trouble on the mound in the second inning by striking out two batters and inducing an inning-ending groundout after loading the bases with no outs.
Holding onto a 1-0 lead, Sarah Keenan knocked in the eventual winning run with a two-out bases-loaded single that drove in Jillian Kraatz. Inter-City led 2-0 after four innings.
Hugan found herself in a jam again in the fifth with the bases loaded and one out with Shrine's powerful clean-up hitter at the plate.
In a risky move, the Chargers pitched around the batter, walking in a run to make it a 2-1 score.
Unfazed, Hugan responded by promptly striking out the next two batters to escape the inning with the lead.
The last threat posed by Shrine was squashed in the sixth thanks to a fine double-play turned by Rachel Muscat that extinguished a leadoff walk and preserved the Charger victory.
Hugan was magnificent on the hill, allowing only one run and four hits through seven innings, while striking out nine.
Claypool recorded two hits and one run while Sarah Keenan collected one hit and one very big RBI. Casey Thomas and Alicia VanDeraa each had a hit in the win.
Inter-City advanced to the quarterfinals at Flushing High School where they faced Dansville.
(Note by me: One detail not mentioned was the most emotional event, as Katie struck out the very last batter in the last inning. As soon as she burned the last strike across the plate, there was a roar from the crowd like I've never heard before at a high school softball game. As Katie's dad, it was overwhelming!)
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