John Groth
Sport Editor
Paper of Montgomery County
Opposing
runners better not test Crawfordsville High School catcher Elizabeth
Zachary.
She’s been working on a quicker release – and the Athenians’
junior provided some game-saving heroics with her quick trigger arm Wednesday
night.
Zachary hit a two-RBI triple in the top of the sixth inning, then
threw out a runner in the bottom of the seventh inning to help Crawfordsville
hold on for an 8-7 victory – and series sweep – over conference rival Frankfort.
Crawfordsville won the first game 5-1.
“This year, I’ve been working on
really getting up and then throwing faster,” said Zachary, who threw out three
runners in the doubleheader sweep Wednesday. “I stood up a little too much and
the ball went high on that (seventh-inning) throw. I didn’t mean to
though.”
Crawfordsville (4-0) survived – and kept its undefeated record
and now-perfect conference record intact.
After jumping out to a 5-0 lead
in the first inning, the Athenians watched as the Hot Dogs chipped away, scoring
runs in the first, second and fourth innings to tie the game at 5-5 and then
take the lead.
Sophomore Chelsea Day struggled with her control in the
cold – throwing seven wild pitches and issuing 11 walks.
But thanks to
Zachary and sophomore pitcher Marissa French’s late-inning performance, they
hung on.
With two outs and two runners on base in the top of the sixth
inning, Zachary drilled a two-RBI triple to leftfield, giving the Athenians an
8-5 cushion. It was just enough.
Frankfort rallied for a run in the
bottom of the fifth and then scored one more with no outs in the bottom of the
sixth.
That’s when Crawfordsville coach Brian Norris took out Day and
put in French.
French fended off a cold and then gave up an RBI single,
before striking out the final three batters in the sixth inning.
And in
the seventh, she got some defensive help – with a line-drive catch by senior
Haley Fink at second base and a dig and scoop by junior Stormy Staton at first
base for the final out of the game.
“I just thought ‘I’ve got to focus,”
French said. “I had to get strikes and I had to push myself. I put my sickness
aside and I just pitched.”
In the opening game, Staton turned in a
dominating pitching performance to earn her first home win.
She struck
out 10 Hot Dogs and pitched a one-hitter in a 5-1 victory, giving up her lone
hit and run – an RBI single to Frankfort freshman Caitlyn Pearcy – in the top of
the first inning.
After allowing that run, Staton (2-0) shut Frankfort
down. She allowed just three bases runners the next six innings (all who reached
on errors).
“Anytime someone gets a hit, scores a run or I give up a
walk, it tells me that I need to start doing something quick,” Staton said. “It
gets me going.”
Staton also received some defensive help from Zachary.
Zachary threw out two runners – freshman Cara Conklin at second base to
end the top of the fourth inning and pitcher Brittany Leach at third base in the
top of the sixth inning.
Crawfordsville benefited from four Frankfort
errors, scoring four of its five runs off errors. The Athenians next play
Tuesday at conference rival Tri-West.
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