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HAMMOND WINS PITCHER’S DUEL OVER CENTENNIAL

Posted On: Saturday, April 12, 2008
By: sporter
HAMMOND WINS PITCHER’S DUEL OVER CENTENNIAL

 by Brandon Hopp

In a matchup between two of the top softball teams in Howard County, visiting Hammond managed to squeek by Centennial, 1-0 on it’s home field on Friday.

The
contest was the epitome of the term pitcher’s duel.  The defending
County champion Golden Bears’ junior ace Stephanie Speierman went the
distance throwing all seven innings, striking out 18 batters and
allowing just one hit in the win.

For the Eagles (7-2), senior
starter Katie Hobson struck out 10 batters in five innings of work. 
Hobson was removed from the game in the fifth due to a back injury and
junior reliever Meg Tucker stepped into the circle and picked up where
Hobson left out, striking out three batters in two innings of work.

“To
win a [Howard] County championship, you have to go through Centennial,”
said Bears’ head coach Pond Richards.  “Centennial is a perennial
powerhouse year after year, after year…They’re always good, they
always give you a good game.  You know you’re in for a tough game when
you face Centennial.”

The lone run came in the top of the first
inning.  Hobson started off the game when she hit Speierman with a
pitch.  After a foul out, Hobson walked Katie McCarthy to put runners
on first and second base.

Junior third baseman Brittany Hazzard
struck out for the second out of the inning.  Hobson then struck out
junior first baseman Janice Rattigan but the ball got away from senior
catcher Corinne Ung and Rattigan was safe at first.

With that
error, the bases were loaded and the inning was extended. Sophomore
Kiersten Palmer was walked to bring in the only run of the game.

“It was a one nothing ball game, we were fortunate to go up on them in
the very first inning,” said Richards.  “It was
a pitcher’s duel after that.  We had some runners on base several times
but we just couldn’t get that one extra hit that we needed.”

From
there, the two starting pitchers were impressive throwing an array of
pitches that kept batters from the opposite team off balance all game. 

Through the first five innings, the flame throwing starters combined for 23 strikeouts (13 for Speierman, 10 for Hobson).

The
rivalry between these two teams is intense, so intense that Hobson
started the game and labored through five innings even though she was
injured.

“We’re two of the best pitchers in Howard County,” said Hobson of herself and Speierman. 

“I
pulled my back last week then I got into a car accident on Monday and
my back has been hurting since.  I really wanted this game, so I
decided to pitch.   I did as well as I could, it felt like a knife was
in my back on every pitch but I shoveled through it because I wanted
this game, I just had one bad inning.”

The two teams combined
for four hits the entire contest.  McCarthy, Hazzard and junior Sarah McCauley
registered singles for Hammond (6-1) and Ung had the lone hit for
Centennial.

Last year, the Eagles defeated the Bears at Hammond.
In the second matchup, Hammond returned the favor and beat the Eagles
at their place.  The trend continued this season as Centennial could
not hold serve at their field.

Hammond 1, Centennial 0

H   1   0   0      0   0   0      0   —   1   3   0
C   0   0   0      0   0   0      0   —   0   1   1

Speierman and McCarthy; Hobson, Tucker (6) and Ung.

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