BY JEFF FALK
LEBANON – The only thing more impressive than the one’s can-do spirit was the other’s never-say-die attitude.
Sure it was only a non-league, feel-your-way-around contest in March. But they were the types of approaches that will serve the Elco and Lebanon softball teams throughout this season.
On a bright Wednesday afternoon, the Raiders’ comeback trumped the Cedars’ dynamic start in an entertaining – if not necessarily well played – 9-8 Elco victory. After they had erased an early 6-0 deficit, the Raiders snapped an eight-all deadlock with a run in the top of the seventh inning.
The game ended when Lebanon stranded the potential re-tying run at third base in the bottom of the final frame.
The contest served as the season-opener for a Raider club looking to grow up quickly. The loss was the second in as many spring outings for a Lebanon squad which won only once a year ago.
“I think it was just plugging away,” said Elco head coach Randy Derr. “We finally got a key hit. I don’t know if one play turned the game around. It was battling. We never gave up.
‘I’m proud of the way we came back,” continued Derr. “It definitely showed me some character. Hopefully there’s more of this coming along. I have a great group of kids. They want to learn.”
“What I’m pleased with is we didn’t give up,” said Lebanon head coach Bob Norman. “They (his players) didn’t roll over, which is huge. They fought back. We had a runner on third base and just couldn’t get her in. We hit the ball well. That’s one of the things we were working on in the off-season.
“They’re (the Raiders) scrappers,” Norman continued. “They were down 6-0. They came back. They didn’t quit either. They could’ve rolled over and played dead.”
Elco scored its ninth and winning run without the benefit of a safety. Maggie Bollinger led off the top of the seventh with a walk, stole second, moved to third on a ground-out and scored on a wild pitch.
The Cedars had tied the score at eight a half-frame earlier, courtesy of a wild pitch and Emily Fake’s run-scoring single. The Lebanon rally began with back-to-back, two-out walks coaxed by Auri Lassalle and Brooke Wagner.
“I think it was a good game,” said Derr. “We made some mistakes early and they gave us some runs. You can tell it’s early. It was only our second time on a field. It’s good to feel dirt under your feet instead of a gym floor.
“Early in the game, we hit the ball,” added Derr. “They (the Cedars) definitely helped us. But we put the ball in play. When you do that, good things happen.”
“Hershey hits the ball extremely well,” said Norman of a 14-1, season-opening setback to the Trojans. “Oh my gosh yes (the Cedars played better on this particular afternoon). We made strides from Monday night. This was a step in the right direction. We’ve just got to keep working hard, to get over that hump.
“Tonight we played well until the fifth inning,” Norman added. “Then we made too many mental mistakes. They (the Raiders) scored five runs without hitting the ball out of the infield. There were things we can’t afford to do to win.”
Facing a 6-0 hole, the Raiders scored five times in the top of the fifth inning, on four hits, two free passes and an error. Amaya Phillips and Daphne Krause stroked run-producing hits for Elco, and the Raiders’ tallied three more runs on wild pitches and a throwing error.
Elco finished the comeback with three runs in the top of the sixth, and opened an 8-6 advantage. Phillips ripped an RBI-single and later scored on a wild pitch, while Sarah Yermalovich used some daring base running to come home.
“They both battled control issues a little bit,” said Derr of starting pitcher Phillips and reliever and winner Yermalovich. “Some could be from throwing (for the first time) in the dirt a little bit. This was our first time on a field since March 7. And I thought our catcher (Erin Speicher) battled really hard.
“They’ve (the Cedars) definitely improved,” Derr continued. “They played pretty solid defense. They put the ball in play. You can tell they’re well-coached. Coach Norman has been around for a while. He knows the game. They play fundamentally sound softball.”
“Maggie (Hinkel) threw very well,” said Norman of his starter. “I think she got a little tired. Katie (Roth) came in and threw well. They’re going to be our one-two combination this season.
“I take a lot of consolation from this,” continued Norman. “These are strides. These are huge strides. Do I take consolation from blowing a 6-0 lead? That’s a little tougher to swallow. We had it in our hands. It was like the sands of time. It ran through our fingers and it got away from us.”
The first four frames were all about Lebanon. The Cedars pitched, played well defensively and hit.
Lebanon opened a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a Fake sacrifice fly and a wild pitch. The Cedars pushed their advantage to 4-0 in the second on Lassalle’s ringing RBI-triple and an Elco miscue. And LHS extended their margin to six runs in the fourth, courtesy of Lassalle’s two-run round-tripper.
“Auri’s one of those kids who only comes along so often,” said Norman of the athletic sophomore. “Her defense is amazing. She has great range. We’ve worked very hard with her batting, and in the first two games she’s hit the ball very well. It is a joy watching her play. It’s like, ‘Here’s a ball. Go play’.
“When I look down at our schedule, there’s five or six games that are win-able,” added Norman. “Ideally, I’d like to get seven wins. You’ve got to crawl before you can walk. We’re crawling, and then we’re going to stand up and walk.”
“I really didn’t know what to expect,” said Derr. “We’re young. I have four girls on the varsity roster who have never played the game before. I hope they learned we’re never out of it. If you keep fighting, good things happen.
“The ultimate goal is to make the postseason,” Derr added. “We’re in a tough section. For us to win the section, it’s going to be tough. But we can still make districts and see advanced play. We have a ways to go. We need to play better defense. We need to work on our defense.”
To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com, or to view more go to https://lebanonsportsbuzz.com/photo-gallery/.
2017 Elco Softball Schedule
| DATE |
OPPONENT |
TIME |
OUTCOME |
|
|
| 03/27 |
Conrad Weiser
|
4:15 PM |
— |
|
|
| DATE |
OPPONENT |
TIME |
LOCATION |
|
| 03/29 |
@Lebanon
|
4:15 PM |
Lebanon High School |
|
| 04/03 * |
Cocalico
|
4:15 PM |
Elco High School |
|
| 04/05 * |
Northern Lebanon
|
4:15 PM |
Elco High School |
|
| 04/07 * |
@Lampeter-Strasburg
|
4:15 PM |
Lampeter-Strasburg High School |
|
| 04/10 * |
@Manheim Central
|
7:30 PM |
Manheim Central High School |
|
| 04/12 * |
@Donegal
|
4:15 PM |
Donegal High School |
|
| 04/13 |
@Columbia
|
4:15 PM |
Columbia High School |
|
| 04/17 |
Lancaster Catholic
|
4:15 PM |
Elco High School |
|
| 04/18 |
@Fleetwood
|
4:15 PM |
Fleetwood Area High School |
|
| 04/19 |
@Lebanon Catholic
|
4:15 PM |
Lebanon Catholic School |
|
| 04/21 |
Annville-Cleona
|
4:15 PM |
Elco High School |
|
| 04/24 |
@Lancaster Mennonite
|
4:15 PM |
Lancaster Mennonite High School |
|
| 04/26 |
Pequea Valley
|
4:15 PM |
Elco High School |
|
| 04/28 * |
@Cocalico
|
7:00 PM |
Cocalico High School |
|
| 05/01 * |
@Northern Lebanon
|
4:15 PM |
Northern Lebanon High School |
|
| 05/03 * |
Lampeter-Strasburg
|
4:15 PM |
Elco High School |
|
| 05/05 * |
Manheim Central
|
4:15 PM |
Elco High School |
|
| 05/06 |
Tulpehocken
|
7:00 PM |
Elco High School |
|
| 05/08 * |
Donegal
|
4:15 PM |
Elco High School |
|
2017 Lebanon High Softball Schedule
| DATE |
OPPONENT |
TIME |
OUTCOME |
|
|
| 03/27 |
@Hershey
|
4:15 PM |
L 1-14 |
|
|
| DATE |
OPPONENT |
TIME |
LOCATION |
|
| 03/29 |
Elco
|
4:15 PM |
Lebanon High School |
|
| 03/31 |
Milton Hershey
|
4:15 PM |
Lebanon High School |
|
| 04/03 * |
@Conestoga Valley
|
4:15 PM |
Conestoga Valley High School |
|
| 04/05 * |
Solanco
|
4:15 PM |
Lebanon High School |
|
| 04/07 * |
@Garden Spot
|
4:15 PM |
Garden Spot High School |
|
| 04/10 * |
@Elizabethtown
|
7:00 PM |
Elizabethtown High School |
|
| 04/12 * |
Ephrata
|
4:15 PM |
Lebanon High School |
|
| 04/13 |
McCaskey
|
4:15 PM |
Lebanon High School |
|
| 04/17 |
@Cedar Crest
|
4:15 PM |
Cedar Crest High School |
|
| 04/19 |
Hempfield
|
4:15 PM |
Lebanon High School |
|
| 04/21 |
@Manheim Twp.
|
7:00 PM |
Manheim Twp. High School |
|
| 04/24 |
Penn Manor
|
4:15 PM |
Lebanon High School |
|
| 04/26 |
@Warwick
|
4:15 PM |
Warwick High School |
|
| 04/28 * |
Conestoga Valley
|
4:15 PM |
Lebanon High School |
|
| 05/01 * |
@Solanco
|
4:15 PM |
Solanco High School |
|
| 05/03 * |
Garden Spot
|
4:15 PM |
Lebanon High School |
|
| 05/05 * |
Elizabethtown
|
4:15 PM |
Lebanon High School |
|
| 05/08 * |
@Ephrata
|
7:00 PM |
Ephrata High School |
|
Loading ...
