| build a web site| fundraising| community| collect fees online| epointz| blogz |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Thursday, June 5 New pitches are key to Clarks success Pitcher has 262 strikeouts in 167 1⁄2 innings this season
By Rich Suwanski Messenger-Inquirer Hadley Clark’s season started off with a bang against Central Hardin High School. Unfortunately for her, it was a home run by the first batter she faced. "I thought, ‘This is going to be a really long season,’ " said the senior right-hander, who pitched Owensboro Catholic to a 4-1 victory that day. Since then, Clark hasn’t given up a run to a Kentucky team. Heading into this weekend’s state tournament, she’s compiled a 26-1 record with an earned run average of 0.33 against all opponents. "A lot of times, someone hits one out on you and you get mad, but she didn’t get rattled," Catholic coach George Randolph said. "It’s not the way you expect to start the season." Clark had a 15-4 record last year and pitched behind OCHS’ primary starter, Olivia Randolph. Clark knew she’d be the Lady Aces’ No. 1 starter this year and responded by developing strength and a greater assortment of pitches. "I had to step up," she said. "It was do or die." She worked on a screwball last year but has better command of it this year. The biggest improvement, however, came when she began relying more on a changeup. It didn’t come easily, though. "At first when I threw it, they’d hit it, and I’d just look at my coach and laugh because I knew they were going to hit it," Clark said. "But if you don’t have a changeup, they sit on your hard stuff and, eventually, they’ll catch up to it. You have to keep them off-balance." Clark switched to the changeup midgame in the 3rd Region championship against Apollo, which Catholic won 8-0. She struck out seven E-Gals in the last three innings. Clark has whiffed 262 batters in 1671⁄3 innings this year. Still, Clark doesn’t fancy herself a strikeout pitcher "I just pitch and let my defense work behind me," Clark said. "I give all the credit to my catcher (Jessica Adkins) and my defense." Clark’s fastball has been clocked in the 60-mph range, and with the movement she gets on her pitches, it’s tough for batters to make good contact."She’s got more command of her pitches this year," Randolph said. "She worked hard in the offseason. She was even throwing during soccer season." Clark played basketball, soccer and softball but gave up basketball after her freshman year to concentrate on softball. She stuck with soccer because it was fun and she enjoyed the camaraderie. "The (soccer) girls are amazing," she said. "I couldn’t give that up." But softball was business. She signed to play for the University of Southern Indiana. "I think we have a pretty good chance (to win state)," Clark said. "If we get our hitting going like we have and get an early lead, we have a pretty good chance." Especially if Clark continues her mastery of Kentucky bats. Rich Suwanski, 691-7311, rsuwanski@messenger-inquirer.com Monday, June 2 3rd Region 2008 All Region Team All-3rd Region Owensboro Catholic: Hadley Clark, Jessica Adkins, Emily Jolly and Meghan Dickinson. Apollo: Chelsea Riney, Emily Gerteisen and Sarah Tanner. Grayson County: Jordan Clemons and Jenna Cantway. Meade County: Erin Sireno and Kristen Benton. Butler County: Kelby Tynes. Muhlenberg North: Amber Carver. Breckinridge County: Carrie Himmelhaver. Ohio County: Courtney Albin.
Saturday, May 31 3rd Region Tournament Semi-Final Game Results
3rd Region Tournament
At Owensboro Catholic High School
Friday’s semifinals
? Apollo 3, Grayson County 1
? Catholic 3, Meade County 0
Today’s championship ? Apollo vs. Catholic, 10 a.m. Friday, May 30 2008 3rd Region Tournament 1st Round Game Results 3rd Region Tournament At Owensboro Catholic High School Thursday’s games ? Meade County 3, Muhlenberg North 1 ? Owensboro Catholic 7, Butler County 0 Today’s semifinals ? Grayson County vs. Apollo, 5:30 p.m. ? Meade County vs. Catholic, 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s championship ? Grayson County-Apollo winner vs. Meade County-Catholic winner, noon. Monday, May 26 2008 3rd Region Tournament Bracket
Monday, May 26 HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL: 3RD REGION TOURNAMENT Pitching key component for success By Rich Suwanski Messenger-Inquirer Softball teams don’t need big pitching staffs like their baseball counterparts, but they do need at least a couple different arms if they expect to be successful throughout the postseason. The 3rd Region Softball Tournament begins today at Owensboro Catholic High with four first-round games. They are Grayson County versus Ohio County at 11 a.m., Apollo vs. Breckinridge County at 1 p.m., Muhlenberg North vs. Meade County at 4 p.m., and Catholic vs. Butler County at 6 p.m.
At this level, most teams have developed at least two good starters, if for no other reason than to show opponents a different selection of pitches than what the primary starter has to offer. "I’m not saying you can’t win with just one good pitcher, but with two pitchers, you can keep teams off-balance," Apollo High School coach Melissa Bullington said. "They have different pitches and they throw from different angles, and I think that’s good." Apollo’s main pitcher is Emily Gerteisen, whose record is 12-9, but the E-Gals also have another quality starter in Sarah Morehead (9-5). "Sarah’s dropball is probably her best pitch, so she’ll throw to the low part of the strike zone," Bullington said. "But that doesn’t work for Emily, who has a riseball. It’s hard for batters to see up there. "If a batter gets used to seeing the ball in a certain zone, changing pitchers breaks her rhythm. We’ve changed during a game about 10 times." Owensboro Catholic, meanwhile, has a couple of good pitchers in Hadley Clark and Martina Riney. Clark is 23-1 with a 0.39 earned run average. Riney is 7-2 with a 1.12 ERA. Clark also averages 11 strikeouts per game. She whiffed 16 Apollo hitters last week in the 9th District Tournament championship game, which the Lady Aces won 4-0. "You need at least two good pitchers to get where you want to go," Catholic coach George Randolph said. "When you play 36 games in the regular season and then postseason, you need more than one." Randolph said pitchers can’t get by on just fastballs anymore. "The game has progressed so much that you’re not going to throw it past batters," he said. "The key is keeping batters off-balance with a changeup, or have pitches with good movement that break away or into batters. "That’s what makes Hadley so effective. She has command of most pitches, and we clocked her at 62 (miles per hour)." Fatigue is more of a factor at state, particularly if a team falls into the losers’ bracket and games pile up one after the other. In the regional, however, teams play one game a day and pitchers get to rest between starts. Rich Suwanski, 691-7311, rsuwanski@messenger-inquirer.com Sunday, May 25 No. 1 Catholic opens against Butler County Messenger-Inquirer Owensboro Catholic High School will play Butler County in the opening round of the 3rd Region Softball Tournament at 6 p.m. Monday at Catholic. Catholic is the No. 1-ranked team in the state with a 31-7 record. Butler County is 24-13. Catholic will host four first-round games starting at 11 a.m. with Grayson County (30-6) vs. Ohio County (11-15). Apollo (22-14) plays Breckinridge County (28-9) at 1 p.m., followed by Muhenberg North (23-11) vs. Meade County (15-12) at 4. The winners of the Grayson County-Ohio County and Apollo-Breckinridge County games will face off at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. The North-Meade County and Catholic-Butler County winners will play at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday’s winners will play for the championship and a trip to the state tournament at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $5. Sunday, May 25 2008 9th District Tournament Bracket
Thursday, May 22 Lady Aces #1 in May 21st KSCA Coaches Poll 2008 KSCA Coaches Poll Top Teams in the State as voted by the KSCA. May 21 Coaches Poll (Final Poll)
1. Owensboro Catholic (8) 432 Thursday, May 22 9th District 2008 All District Team All-District Based on regular-season play. Owensboro Catholic: Hadley Clark, Jessica Adkins, Emily Jolly, Emily Hayden, Brianne James, Elizabeth Fenwick and Carly Kaelin; Apollo: Emily Priar, Emily Gerteisen, Sarah Morehead, Hillary Plain, Chelsea Riney and Shelby Williams; Daviess County: Danielle Hamilton, Whitney Head, Courtney Biggs, Katie Perkins and Carri Crisp; and Owensboro: Kasie Boone and Candice Vanover. Thursday, May 22 No. 1 Catholic breaks loose to claim crown Clark tosses two-hitter, strikes out 16 in 4-0 win over Apollo By Mark Mathis Messenger-Inquirer The Owensboro Catholic High School softball team got the usual big inning it has come to expect. Hadley Clark was the usual strikeout machine on the mound for the Lady Aces. And, as usual, the No. 1 Lady Aces walked off the softball field with the 9th District Tournament championship. The Lady Aces beat Apollo 4-0 on Wednesday at Parent’s Park, fighting the E-Gals through four scoreless innings before breaking out with four runs in the fifth. "They’re known to do that," Apollo coach Melissa Bullington said. Clark, who struck out the first nine Apollo batters and 16 in all, had the big single up the middle to score two runs in the fifth. "Hadley took an inside pitch up the middle," Catholic coach George Randolph said. "We hit the ball, but we didn’t string anything together until the fifth." Emily McCarty singled to start the inning but was thrown out on a bunt attempt. Emily Jolly came up at the top of the order and tripled to left-center field, scoring Carly Kaelin. "She had been 0-for-2, then one-hopped the fence," Randolph said. "Hadley got the two big RBIs. We started taking the ball where it was pitched." Clark felt good about her team’s chances to have a big inning. It has been happening all year as Catholic has built a 31-7 record. "We didn’t score until the fifth, but I never felt like we were down," Clark said. "I felt like we would put something together, and we finally did." Clark’s work on the mound was stunningly efficient. She allowed just two hits and saw only one Apollo baserunner get into scoring position. "The first time around I threw all hard stuff and didn’t use my change-up, then the second time I tried to work the change-up in," Clark said. "I was trying to keep them guessing." Apollo looked timid at the plate, with players almost expecting to struggle against Clark, who is now 23-1. "She’s a great pitcher," Bullington said. "She came out to control the game. We weren’t confident coming to the plate. It looked like we had a little fear in us this time." Catholic has won six of the last seven district titles, and in five of the last six district championship games has now outscored its opponents 26-0. Both Catholic and Apollo advance to next week’s 3rd Region Tournament, also at Parent’s Park. Emily Gerteisen pitched well, and she kept Catholic under control through four innings. "When you play the same team, it makes it difficult," Randolph said. "They know what you do, you know what they do. To play a team a third time and get a shutout, you’ve got to be pleased with that." APOLLO 000 000 0 — 0 2 2 CATHOLIC 000 040 x — 4 7 1 WP-Clark. LP-Gerteisen. 3B-Jolly (C). Mark Mathis, 691-7313, mmathis@messenger-inquirer.com Tuesday, May 20 Lady Aces roll by Owensboro By Rich Suwanski Messenger-Inquirer Owensboro Catholic High School’s loss to Christian County last weekend was a gentle reminder leading into the postseason that the Lady Aces should stay on task. No. 1-ranked Catholic did just that in the opening round of the 9th District Tournament as the Lady Aces beat Owensboro 15-0 in three innings. The loss “served a good purpose,” Catholic catcher Jessica Adkins said. “It kept us motivated to work in practice and to run out every ball because you never know when this could be your last game.” Catholic (30-7) jumped on Owensboro (2-19) with five first-inning runs and eight in the second. OHS pitcher Kasie Boone struggled with her control, but when she hit the strike zone, the Lady Aces made solid contact. Adkins, who went 2-for-2 with three runs batted in, got things started with a two run single. Three batters later, Emily Hayden drove the ball off the center field wall for a two run triple. “There’s a reason they’re the No. 1 team in the state,” OHS coach Bryan Kasey said. “That’s probably the best-coached team in the state. Their girls start at such a young age, and that’s what we want to do, too. “We’ve got to improve our seeding so we don’t have to face them (in the first round) again.” Catholic had 15 hits, including three by interim leadoff hitter Brianne James, who moved from second in the lineup to first when Emily Jolly sat out with a minor shoulder injury. James had two singles and a two run double off the wall in right in three at-bats. “Brianne could bat leadoff because she can bunt or slap-hit, and she’s got power,” Randolph said. “But we decided our best average hitter would lead off because that would mean 10 or 15 more at-bats over the course of the season rather than batting third or fourth.” Catholic scored all eight of its runs in the second inning after two outs. Carly Kaelin and James each drove in a pair of runs while Elizabeth Fenwick, Meghan Dickinson, Emily McCarty and Adkins had one apiece. Catholic ended the game in the third inning with a pair of runs on four hits as Randolph used all pinch-hitters. “We’ve been swinging the bats really well the last week, and a lot of people got big hits tonight,” Randolph said. “We’ve got a lot of kids who have worked hard and are waiting to play on a regular basis.” Adkins said no matter who Randolph plays, the team has confidence. “We knew we had to play our best because upsets always happen,” she said. “But Morgan (Rudy subbing for Jolly) did a good job at shortstop. “We had a lot of young girls playing different positions because of injuries the last few games, but we just played Catholic softball.” Pitcher Hadley Clark got the win in the abbreviated game shortened by the mercy rule. She threw a no-hitter, struck out seven and walked one.OCHS advanced to the district championship game at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday against the winner of today’s Apollo-Daviess County game. OWENSBORO 000 — 0 0 0 OWENSBORO CATHOLIC 582 — 15 15 0 WP-Clark. LP-Boone. 2B-James (OC). 3B-Hayden (OC).Sunday, May 18 Aull's Well Former Lady Aces star a certified success at UK By Jim Pickens Messenger-Inquirer Anyone who watched Meagan Aull for an extended period of time on the softball diamond had little doubt that her transition from high school to college would be smooth.Evidence of just how seamless the transition was arrived late last week, when the former Owensboro Catholic High School All-American was named to the 2008 Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team after an eye-opening debut season at the University of Kentucky. "Being part of UK athletics is a wonderful experience," said Aull, the 2007 Kentucky Miss Softball recipient. "On top of that, I was fortunate to have a pretty good individual season after a little bit of a slow start." "I wouldn’t change a thing A stellar shortstop at Catholic, Aull made another smooth transition by moving to center field for coach Rachel Lawson’s Wildcats — becoming one of only four Kentucky players to start all 54 games. The left-handed-hitting Aull struggled at the plate early on, but she picked up the pace significantly in the latter half of the season. "I think it was just a case of being nervous at the start," Aull said. "Also, the overall speed of the game is so much faster. It took me a while to adjust, but by the time the conference schedule rolled around I felt pretty comfortable." Aull finished her first collegiate season batting .267, with two homers, four doubles, 21 RBIs and 26 runs scored. She also flashed some speed of her own, swiping 13 bases in 15 attempts to rank second on the team. Against the always-stout SEC pitching, Aull led UK in batting (.320) and base hits (24) and hit safely in every league series. In addition, she was 6-for-6 in stolen-base attempts. In center field, the 5-foot-8 speedster ran down a bevy of would-be hits and made several spectacular diving catches. "Moving from the infield was a little scary at first because I had never played outfield in my life," Aull said. "That’s the biggest change I’ve ever had to make in my softball career. "You only get maybe two or three chances a game, so you want to make the most of your opportunities. Getting a good jump on the ball is the key. If you get a good jump, you have a chance to make a play. "Now I love it in the outfield. I can’t imagine playing anywhere else." The personal highlight of her season? Hitting a home run against perennial national power LSU.Aull was one of the genuine bright spots in a challenging season for UK, which finished 17-37 overall and 3-25 in the SEC, losing 27 of its final 31 games. Those are unfamiliar numbers for Aull, who played on Owensboro Catholic teams that went 206-51 and won state championships in 2003 and 2005 in her six years of association with coach George Randolph’s program. The Lady Aces were state runners-up in 2004 and 2006. "Losing was hard, and very frustrating — it was just tough," Aull said. "There comes a point, though, when you realize that all you can do is the best you can do. I did my best to focus on helping the team any way I could. "We were shorthanded from a numbers standpoint. We have some good recruits coming in, though, and I expect us to be much better next year." Aull enjoyed a storybook career at Catholic. As a senior, she hit .441 and went 6-for-10 with five stolen bases at the state tournament. After beating Estill County in the opening round, however, the Lady Aces lost consecutive one-run decisions to Oldham County and Louisville Butler. Aull wrote her ticket to UK on the heels of a phenomenal junior season in 2006. She batted .439 and belted a state-record 17 triples, to go with 10 doubles, five homers, 29 RBIs and 59 runs scored. As the team’s leadoff hitter, she swiped 48 bases in 50 attempts. The performance earned her second-team All-American honors, which she repeated as a senior. A two-time, first-team All-State and Academic All-State selection, Aull committed to Kentucky in late September of her senior year. She also had given Auburn, another SEC school, serious consideration. "Nothing Meagan accomplishes at Kentucky will surprise me," Randolph said. "She’s such a gifted athlete. Then, when you factor in her desire to win and her determination to improve her game, you understand why she’s having great success." Aull is in town for the summer, working for Owensboro dentist Dr. David Wilson. Though not officially affiliated with any travel team, she didn’t rule out the possibility of competing in a couple of tournaments. "We have a pretty rigorous off-season strength and conditioning program that we’re obligated to fulfill," Aull said. "If I didn’t pick up a softball all summer, I would have plenty to do. "There’s a lot of hard work associated with playing at the SEC level, but it’s all worth it. I love UK, I love Lexington and I love being part of a softball program that plays in one of the best conferences in the nation. ." Jim Pickens, 691-7314, jpickens@messenger-inquirer.com Friday, May 16 Lady Aces' Adkins will play for Kentucky 5/16/2008
By Jim Pickens Messenger-Inquirer Jessica Adkins, a two-sport star at Owensboro Catholic High School, has committed to the University of Kentucky softball program. "I'm very excited about the opportunity to play softball at Kentucky," Adkins said. "They started showing interest in me last summer after seeing me in some national tournaments, and things just kind of worked out for me after that. "I was planning to attend Georgetown (College), but I took an official visit (to UK) at the end of January and it went really well. I bonded real well with their team, and UK seemed like the place for me to be." Adkins, who transferred to Catholic from Hancock County following her sophomore year, has been a key component for the Lady Aces' softball and basketball programs the past two seasons. "She came into our program and made an immediate impact," Lady Aces softball coach George Randolph said. "Jessica is an extremely intelligent athlete who has a great instinct for the game. "At the plate, she's a contact hitter who can turn on the ball and hit for power. In the field, she would be good no matter where you played her. Last year, she did a great job for us at first base and this year we've been able to utilize her abilities at catcher." As a junior, Adkins batted .346 and drove in 23 runs to help Catholic win the 3rd Region championship. This spring, Adkins is hitting .360 with 21 RBIs for a Lady Aces club ranked No. 1 in the state. "Jessica very rarely strikes out, so we can run the hit-and-run with her and have confidence she'll get a piece of the ball," said Randolph, who noted that Adkins has struck out just twice in more than 80 at-bats this season. "She's a run-producer -- the type of player you want at the plate with runners on base." Adkins said she benefited from backyard drills with her father (Steve), and from playing amateur baseball until the age of 12. "Playing baseball probably toughened me up," Adkins said. "It made me be willing to put my body on the line -- to stop the ball, no matter what. I think I've carried that mentality with me into softball. "Working with my dad played a role in my ability to make contact at the plate. We'd work a lot on that, because you can't help your team if you don't put the ball in play." The 5-foot-8 Adkins was an essential part of Catholic's back-to-back 9th District basketball championships, twice earning All-3rd Region second-team recognition as a versatile guard-forward for coach Ray Zuberer. "She was effective inside or outside, and that created matchup problems for just about every team we faced," said Randolph, a girls' basketball assistant coach. "She was like a coach on the floor in terms of her ability to make good decisions with the basketball." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
