METRO ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SOFTBALL Poland closes in on another title

The Bulldogs' 4-0 win over Canfield has them two wins away from the crown.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORESPONDENT
CANFIELD -- Kari Thompson is only a freshman but she understands the tradition that Poland High softball players have upheld for the past 17 seasons.
Against Canfield Thursday, Thompson went 4-for-4 with a home run and drove in two runs to lead the Bulldogs (16-4, 8-1) to a 4-0 Metro Athletic Conference victory.
The win went a long way in ensuring that Poland will claim its 18th consecutive league title. The Bulldogs need two more victories in their remaining three league games. Howland has two MAC losses with five league games remaining. Canfield has three defeats with four to play.
"I'm new to the program so this win means more to some of the girls than me," said Thompson, a first-year catcher. "I just wanted to help the seniors get the win."
Thompson's homer, the first of her high school career, came in the seventh inning and put an exclamation mark on Poland's victory.
"Just before the game I decided I would focus more on hitting the ball than playing defense," Thompson said. "It was a thrill to hit my first home run."
Conger tosses shutout
Thompson's double in the third inning drove in the first Poland run to support senior Mallory Conger's pitching.
"They're a good hitting team," Conger said of the Cardinals. "But I have a good defense. I wasn't worried."
Canfield (13-7, 5-3 MAC) managed five hits off Conger, who had to wriggle out of trouble in the third, fifth and sixth innings.
Canfield left a runner on third in the third and left the bases loaded in the fifth. In the sixth, Canfield again stranded two runners without scoring.
"We had our opportunities," Canfield coach Fred Mayhew said. "They have been the better team and tonight they were the better team.
"[Poland] took advantage of their opportunities and we didn't get the big hits when we needed them," Mayhew said. "We're a much better team than we demonstrated tonight."
Poland, which was coming off a 4-1 loss to Boardman on Wednesday, had the bats going right from the start.
The Bulldogs finished with 12 hits but only owned a 1-0 lead heading into the fifth inning before Conger helped her own cause with a two-run double.
"We were excited and pumped," Conger said. "We wanted to make sure we can win the league title and not just share it."