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.