Morrison Leaves Championship
Hopes Stranded
Hopes Stranded
Fillies Fall Short In 2A State Semis to Johnston City, 3-2 ...
| Northern Illinois Sports Beat http://www.northernillinoissportsbeat.com |
By Bill Lidinsky
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Contributor
EAST PEORIA - The Morrison High School softball squad practically did everything they
needed to get to the 2010 2A state championship game.
On Friday the Fillies out-hit and out-pitched their Class 2A state semifinal opponent from
Johnston City. But two key Morrison errors led to a pair of unearned runs and the Fillies
also left eight runners in scoring position throughout the contest as they dropped a tough
3-2 decision to the Lady Indians at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria.
Morrison doubled up Johnston City in the hit column by an eight-to-four margin, while Fillie
starting pitcher Danielle Stralow and reliever Christie Wiersema combined to allow only
one earned run, while striking out ten and walking two. But it wasn’t enough to counter the
Morrison shortcomings in the error and left-on-base score book entries.
In the end, the Fillies (25-13) fell into the Clas 2A third place contest on Saturday at 4:30
p.m. against Alton Marquette (28-6) whom lost to top ranked Coal City (39-0) 4-0 in the
other 2A semifinal.
The Coalers and the Lady Indians will play for the 2A championship at approximately 7:00
p.m. following the Morrison and Marquette matchup.
“I told the girls after the game that they really out played an awesome team in Johnston
City and overall played great. But we couldn’t get the key hits when we needed them and
we made a couple of bad errors that cost us,” said Morrison softball coach Tammy Deter.
“I can’t fault our effort. We tried very hard to score on several occasions when I thought
we could’ve put together a big rally. But it didn’t work out. It’s disappointing because we
had a lot of chances to win this game.”
“We weren’t sharp anywhere tonight. My pitcher wasn’t sharp, but our defense played
pretty good and I think that's what saved us when we made some very good plays with
their runners in scoring position,” said Johnston City coach Lyndell Zanotti. “We escaped.
We dodged a bullet today. Morrison is a good team. Maybe we overlooked them, I don’t
know. We didn’t hit the ball like we’re capable of hitting it. We’re fortunate to have gotten
out of this game with a win.”
Johnston City got on the board first in the bottom of the opening frame as Cierra
Hutchinson touched Stralow for a solo homerun to left field to put the Lady Indians up 1-0
after one inning of play.
“That home run hurt us early because we had two out and a full count on the batter,”
Deter said. “But I can’t fault my pitcher (Stralow). She made a nice pitch and their girl
(Hutchison) just hit the ball hard. Credit her for a nice at bat.”
Johnston City would go up 2-0 after the second frame with the first of two runs it would
tally courtesy of a Morrison error.
But the Fillies would fight back in the top of the fourth against Lady Indian starting pitcher
Kaley Coonce.
Stralow led off with a double to right center and was replaced on the base paths by
courtesy runner Kaitlyn Wiebenga. Allie Hanson then followed with a double of her own
that plated Wiebenga and Morrison was on the board trailing 2-1.
Another Morrison error in the bottom of the fifth led to the third Johnston City run that
came home on Carley Bunting’s single to put the Lady Indians up 3-1 after five complete.
The Fillies however tightened the noose on Coonce with a run in the top of the sixth.
With two out, Ashley Vegter reached on an infield single and went to third on Morgan
Ammon’s base hit to left. Pinch hitter Billie Jean Connor then followed with an RBI knock
off Coonce that scored Vegter and Morrison trailed 3-2 after five and a half innings.
Wiersema would replace Stralow in the circle and strike out the Johnston City side in the
bottom of the sixth. But the Fillies couldn’t generate anything off Coonce in the seventh
and went down one, two, three to end a frustrating state semifinals losing by a single run.
Coonce (31-2) got the win, while Stralow (13-5) took the tough loss. Morrison will now try
to regroup and capture the Class 2A third place trophy against Alton (Marquette)
something it hasn’t done since its third place finish under head coach Deter back in 2008.
“We’ve told the girls they can end this season with a win despite the tough loss tonight,”
Deter said. “That’s what you want to do, end the your season with a win. Even though it
was disappointing to not advance to the championship game, we’ll come back tomorrow
and work really hard to try to get that third place trophy.”
Bill Lidinsky is a Northern Illinois Sports Beat contributor. He can be reached in care of
NISB at Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our
Message Boards!
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Contributor
EAST PEORIA - The Morrison High School softball squad practically did everything they
needed to get to the 2010 2A state championship game.
On Friday the Fillies out-hit and out-pitched their Class 2A state semifinal opponent from
Johnston City. But two key Morrison errors led to a pair of unearned runs and the Fillies
also left eight runners in scoring position throughout the contest as they dropped a tough
3-2 decision to the Lady Indians at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria.
Morrison doubled up Johnston City in the hit column by an eight-to-four margin, while Fillie
starting pitcher Danielle Stralow and reliever Christie Wiersema combined to allow only
one earned run, while striking out ten and walking two. But it wasn’t enough to counter the
Morrison shortcomings in the error and left-on-base score book entries.
In the end, the Fillies (25-13) fell into the Clas 2A third place contest on Saturday at 4:30
p.m. against Alton Marquette (28-6) whom lost to top ranked Coal City (39-0) 4-0 in the
other 2A semifinal.
The Coalers and the Lady Indians will play for the 2A championship at approximately 7:00
p.m. following the Morrison and Marquette matchup.
“I told the girls after the game that they really out played an awesome team in Johnston
City and overall played great. But we couldn’t get the key hits when we needed them and
we made a couple of bad errors that cost us,” said Morrison softball coach Tammy Deter.
“I can’t fault our effort. We tried very hard to score on several occasions when I thought
we could’ve put together a big rally. But it didn’t work out. It’s disappointing because we
had a lot of chances to win this game.”
“We weren’t sharp anywhere tonight. My pitcher wasn’t sharp, but our defense played
pretty good and I think that's what saved us when we made some very good plays with
their runners in scoring position,” said Johnston City coach Lyndell Zanotti. “We escaped.
We dodged a bullet today. Morrison is a good team. Maybe we overlooked them, I don’t
know. We didn’t hit the ball like we’re capable of hitting it. We’re fortunate to have gotten
out of this game with a win.”
Johnston City got on the board first in the bottom of the opening frame as Cierra
Hutchinson touched Stralow for a solo homerun to left field to put the Lady Indians up 1-0
after one inning of play.
“That home run hurt us early because we had two out and a full count on the batter,”
Deter said. “But I can’t fault my pitcher (Stralow). She made a nice pitch and their girl
(Hutchison) just hit the ball hard. Credit her for a nice at bat.”
Johnston City would go up 2-0 after the second frame with the first of two runs it would
tally courtesy of a Morrison error.
But the Fillies would fight back in the top of the fourth against Lady Indian starting pitcher
Kaley Coonce.
Stralow led off with a double to right center and was replaced on the base paths by
courtesy runner Kaitlyn Wiebenga. Allie Hanson then followed with a double of her own
that plated Wiebenga and Morrison was on the board trailing 2-1.
Another Morrison error in the bottom of the fifth led to the third Johnston City run that
came home on Carley Bunting’s single to put the Lady Indians up 3-1 after five complete.
The Fillies however tightened the noose on Coonce with a run in the top of the sixth.
With two out, Ashley Vegter reached on an infield single and went to third on Morgan
Ammon’s base hit to left. Pinch hitter Billie Jean Connor then followed with an RBI knock
off Coonce that scored Vegter and Morrison trailed 3-2 after five and a half innings.
Wiersema would replace Stralow in the circle and strike out the Johnston City side in the
bottom of the sixth. But the Fillies couldn’t generate anything off Coonce in the seventh
and went down one, two, three to end a frustrating state semifinals losing by a single run.
Coonce (31-2) got the win, while Stralow (13-5) took the tough loss. Morrison will now try
to regroup and capture the Class 2A third place trophy against Alton (Marquette)
something it hasn’t done since its third place finish under head coach Deter back in 2008.
“We’ve told the girls they can end this season with a win despite the tough loss tonight,”
Deter said. “That’s what you want to do, end the your season with a win. Even though it
was disappointing to not advance to the championship game, we’ll come back tomorrow
and work really hard to try to get that third place trophy.”
Bill Lidinsky is a Northern Illinois Sports Beat contributor. He can be reached in care of
NISB at Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our
Message Boards!
At EastSide Centre (6/4/10)
East Peoria
Class 2AState Semifinal
Johnston City 3, Morrison 2
Morrison (2) – Sumption cf 4-
0-2-0, Deter 3b 2-0-1-0,
Wiersema 1b/p 3-0-0-0,
Finneran ss 4-0-0-0, Stralow
p/1b 3-0-1-0, Wiebenga pr 0-
1-0-0, Hanson c 3-0-1-1,
Vegter rf 3-1-1-0, Ammon 2b
2-0-1-0, Bush lf 2-0-0-0,
Connor ph 1-0-1-1. Totals 27-
2-8-2.
Johnston City (3) – Coonce p
3-0-0-0, Smiley 2b 3-0-1-0,
Hutchison 3b 3-2-1-1,
Bunting ss 2-0-1-1,
Montgomery 1b 2-1-0-0,
Watkins cf 2-0-1-0, Thomas c
2-0-0-0, Roach pr 0-0-0-0,
Gregge rf 3-0-0-0, Moore rf 3-
0-0-0. Totals 23-3-4-2.
Morrison 000 101 0 – 2 8 4
Johnston 110 010 x – 3 4 1
LOB – Morrison 8; Johnston
City 6. 2B – Sumption,
Stralow, Hanson. HR –
Hutchison. SAC – Deter 2,
Ammon, Bunting, Thomas.
SB – Hanson, Bunting,
Watkins.
Morrison ip r er h bb k
Stralow (L, 13-5) 5 3 1 4 2 7
Wiersema 1 0 0 0 0 3
Johnston City
Coonce (W, 31-2) 7 2 2 8 1 5
Records: Morrison 25-13,
Johnston City 35-3.
East Peoria
Class 2AState Semifinal
Johnston City 3, Morrison 2
Morrison (2) – Sumption cf 4-
0-2-0, Deter 3b 2-0-1-0,
Wiersema 1b/p 3-0-0-0,
Finneran ss 4-0-0-0, Stralow
p/1b 3-0-1-0, Wiebenga pr 0-
1-0-0, Hanson c 3-0-1-1,
Vegter rf 3-1-1-0, Ammon 2b
2-0-1-0, Bush lf 2-0-0-0,
Connor ph 1-0-1-1. Totals 27-
2-8-2.
Johnston City (3) – Coonce p
3-0-0-0, Smiley 2b 3-0-1-0,
Hutchison 3b 3-2-1-1,
Bunting ss 2-0-1-1,
Montgomery 1b 2-1-0-0,
Watkins cf 2-0-1-0, Thomas c
2-0-0-0, Roach pr 0-0-0-0,
Gregge rf 3-0-0-0, Moore rf 3-
0-0-0. Totals 23-3-4-2.
Morrison 000 101 0 – 2 8 4
Johnston 110 010 x – 3 4 1
LOB – Morrison 8; Johnston
City 6. 2B – Sumption,
Stralow, Hanson. HR –
Hutchison. SAC – Deter 2,
Ammon, Bunting, Thomas.
SB – Hanson, Bunting,
Watkins.
Morrison ip r er h bb k
Stralow (L, 13-5) 5 3 1 4 2 7
Wiersema 1 0 0 0 0 3
Johnston City
Coonce (W, 31-2) 7 2 2 8 1 5
Records: Morrison 25-13,
Johnston City 35-3.
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