MAC SOFTBALL Poland captures league crown with 2-0 victory

Katie Naumoff had both RBIs while Jessica Lamport pitched a shutout.
By ROBERT J. FUSCO
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- One could excuse the Poland High softball team for feeling a little selfish.
After all, an outright Metro Athletic Conference championship sounds a lot better than a three-way tie for the crown.
"I'm just so excited for this group of girls," said Poland coach Reid Lamport, after the Bulldogs wrapped up the league title with a 2-0 win over Canfield Wednesday.
"We really didn't want to share the league championship with two other teams, and the girls went out and got the job done."
A Canfield (20-7, 7-3 MAC) win would have created the three-way tie, including Howland, at 8-2.
"We came out here planning on being a little selfish," said Poland right-fielder Katie Naumoff, who had three hits and drove in both Poland (18-4, 9-1) runs. "We weren't in the mood to share the championship."
Naumoff delivers runs
Naumoff provided all the offense Poland needed, slapping a pair of run-scoring doubles in her first two plate appearances, both coming on two-strike pitches from Canfield pitcher Megan Turocy.
"I love pitches inside, and when I fell behind in the count, I had to crowd the plate to protect the outside corner like I'm taught to do," Naumoff said. "I was able to get a pitch I could drive on both at-bats."
Her first double scored Steffi Graf, who opened Poland's first inning with a single and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jessica Lamport and a stolen base.
"I don't think she had her best stuff out there today," Naumoff said of Turocy, who yielded seven hits, walked two and fanned five. "She just got a couple of pitches up and I was able to deliver."
Her second double came in the third after Lamport singled with one out. It also came after Canfield loaded the bases with one out in its half of the third, only to come away empty.
Stranded runners
"You can't [leave] as many runners on base as we did today and expect to beat a great program like Poland's," said Canfield coach Fred Mayhew, whose Cardinals stranded runners at third in the first and second innings, and had a runner thrown out at the plate.
"It was a big lift for us and a punch in the stomach for them at the same time," said Reid Lamport of the third-inning turnaround.
Jessica Lamport worked out of the jam by getting Elizabeth Brown on a force-out at home and striking out Jenn D'Giantonio.
"My curveball was really working today," said the Poland pitcher (10-2). "I think this was the first game where everything was working. I think [Canfield players] were sitting on the changeup because I used it a lot the first time we played. That made my curve more effective."
Jessica Lamport, who has recovered completely from a wrist injury suffered during the spring break trip to South Carolina, finished with an eight-hitter and seven strikeouts. She got Nikki Garrett to ground out with the tying runs on base to end the game.
Jessica Lamport finished with two hits while Britt Davis doubled for the Bulldogs.
Amanda Williams had three hits for Canfield, which plays top-seeded Boardman Monday in the Division I sectional.