|
Kirylo's no-hitter helps Tolman win showdown with Scituate |
|
|
Wednesday, 14 May 2008 |
By ERIC BENEVIDES
Sports Writer
PAWTUCKET --- After watching their team record 11 of its victories by 10 or more runs, Tolman High fans were treated to a rare Division III pitchers' duel on Tuesday afternoon.
They were also treated to sophomore ace pitcher's Macayla Kirylo's fifth no-hitter of the season and the unbeaten Tigers' biggest win of the season, a close 5-0 triumph over second-place Scituate High before a large gathering at Slater Park's Al Bailey Field.
The victory gives the Tigers (14-0) a two-game command over the visiting Spartans (12-2) with four games remaining on their regular-season schedule. Three of those games are against teams who have losing records and were mercy-ruled by Tolman earlier in the year, and unless a major disaster happens, the Tigers should end up with the regular-season title and the top seed in the upcoming playoffs.
"This was a big win for us," admitted Tolman coach Craig Giarrusso. "We played very well, we stayed composed every inning, and Macayla went out and did what she needed to do. I just can't say enough about the way we played today. This is how we're capable of playing, and I just wish we could do it every time out."
Kirylo was the story of the afternoon for the Tigers, as she used her fastball and an occasional change-up to strike out 13 batters (including the side in the first and fourth innings) and not allow a batted ball to reach the outfield. She did walk seven batters, including three in a row with two gone in the first, but was able to battle her way out of each jam she created.
"Every time out, Macayla's getting better and better," said Giarrusso. "We're still trying to limit the walks. She had a few walks earlier in the game, but thankfully, they didn't come back and hurt us. As long as we can keep our walks down, I think we're a good enough team where if we can hang with some teams, we're going to beat them."
Kirylo was locked up in a pitchers' duel for most of the afternoon with Scituate pitcher Kristen Audet, who struck out seven batters and gave up just one hit and one walk in her first four innings of work. But in the fifth, she surrendered singles to four of the first six batters she faced and was forced to leave the game when the fourth hit -- a line drive single up the middle by No. 3 batter Brenda Parker -- struck her pitching hand and caromed into center field.
While Audet and southpaw reliever Shannon Audet ended up combining on a five-hitter, the Spartans came undone defensively behind them and committed five errors that led to a pair of unearned runs.
In the home half of the second inning, they made two of them to help the Tigers produce the only run they needed. With one gone, Tabatha Ghazal struck out on a low pitch, but it got away from catcher Ashley Cinquegrana. She retrieved the ball near the backstop, but when she tried to throw out Ghazal, she fired the ball into right field, and Ghazal was able to advance to second base.
Kayla Therriault then moved Ghazal to third with a grounder to the right side of the infield, and after Kirylo drew a walk to put runners on the corners, Audet tried to pick Ghazal off third after firing a pitch to Natalie Federico. But her pickoff attempt sailed past third baseman Nicole Kusche and toward the fence, and Ghazal raced home with the day's first run.
The Spartans had a golden opportunity to tie the score in the top of the fifth when Heather Audet led off with a walk and No. 9 batter Kailyn Audet reached base when her sacrifice bunt (which she popped up near the third-base line) was dropped for an error.
A fielder's choice grounder by Emma Hackett then erased Kailyn Audet at second and sent Heather Audet to third, and on Kirylo's ensuing pitch to the next batter, Victoria Ramos, Hackett moved into scoring position by swiping second base without a throw.
But Kirylo and Tolman wiggled off the hook. After Ramos lined out to shortstop Emily Sharkey for the second out, Audet tried to race home on a wild pitch, but Parker, the Tigers' catcher, quickly pounced on the ball and fired it to Kirylo, who raced in to cover the plate and tagged out Audet on a close play.
In the bottom of the inning, the Tigers' bats came alive. With one out, Kirylo lined a sharp single up the middle that just found its way under the glove of shortstop Meghan Noury and Natalie Federico saw her sacrifice bunt to the mound turn into a single when no one was covering first base and Kristen Audet didn't have a play at second.
After a sacrifice bunt by Erin Girouard moved both runners up a base, Becky Estrella, who struck out in her first two at-bats, came through with a bloop single to shallow right to knock in two runs. She took second on right fielder Heather Audet's throw to the plate and ended up racing home on Parker's hard-hit single off the pitcher's hand.
Shannon Audet then came into the game and silenced the threat by striking out the next batter she faced, but in the sixth, the Tigers were able to add another run. With two out, Therriault reached first on a throwing miscue and was able to score when Kirylo and Federico laced grounders to the right side of the infield that were misplayed for errors.
While the Spartans saw their ace pitcher leave the game with an injury, they also saw Noury, their No. 3 batter, get helped off the field and eventually exit the contest with an injured left knee. She suffered it while sliding into third on a stolen base attempt that was wiped out by a strong throw by Parker to end the top of the sixth.
Noury had made the defensive play of the contest in the third by taking away a line drive single by Girouard with an all-out dive to her right, and she also walked three times and stole four bases, two of them with delayed thefts.
"My biggest fear would be (to suffer) any injuries going into the playoffs," admitted Giarrusso. "As much as I'd like to keep our momentum going, I'd still like to stay injury-free."
The Tigers return to action tomorrow afternoon with a 3:30 p.m. contest at the Hank Soar Complex against crosstown rival Bishop Keough High, and on Friday, they will host another Pawtucket foe, Shea High, in a 3:30 p.m. affair. They won't take on another team with a winning record until next Monday when they entertain third-place Central High (10-4).
"I don't want the kids to get relaxed," admitted Giarrusso. "Right now, they're two games up in the loss column and I don't want them to sit back on their heels and think that they don't have to work any more because we'll definitely see Scituate again somewhere (in the playoffs). They're a really good team, and if we take them lightly, they can come back and beat us. They played well today, but we just played a little better than they did." |
|
Last Updated ( Saturday, 17 May 2008 )
|
|
|
|
|
|
Horoscope