Howland stays in the hunt

Desiree Sibera hit a game-winning double to lift the Tigers past Poland, 3-2.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
HOWLAND -- Howland senior Desiree Sibera walked up to the plate with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning of Thursday's Metro Athletic Conference game against Poland. There were runners on first and second. The game was tied at 2.
What was she thinking?
"Oh man, it was crazy," she said. "I don't think I've ever been that nervous. And I rarely get nervous."
She didn't show it.
On a 1-2 count, Sibera lined a double into the gap in right center, bringing home Carly Sabat for the winning run.
As Sibera cruised into second, she took off her helmet, screamed and ran toward the frenzy at home plate.
"When I hit it, I was like, 'We won!' " she said. "A couple of my teammates thought it was out [of the park], but I knew it wasn't.
"But I knew it was enough to win."
In the mix
The Tigers (10-1, 4-1) last beat Poland in 2004 -- "It means more now," Sibera said -- and, with Canfield still unbeaten in the MAC, made the Bulldogs' quest for their 20th straight league title a little tougher.
"I'm not worried about the MAC," Poland coach Reid Lamport said. "We've won it 19 straight years and we always know there's a possibility we might not win it.
"We're just focusing on getting better every game. If we get better, the MAC always takes care of itself."
Poland (7-1, 3-1) made some uncharacteristic mistakes, committing two errors in the bottom of the seventh (Lamport said there's no way he would have pitched to Sibera if there had been one on and two out) and striking out six times, all of them looking.
"We were too hesitant," Lamport said. "We've got to fix that."
Of course, Howland freshman Abby Nicholas (5-1) deserves some of the credit for those strikeouts. She also deserves credit for pitching well under pressure. Poland loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, but managed only one run.
"It's a huge win for her," Howland coach Andrea Ferenac said. "We have a lot of confidence in her. You can't treat her like a freshman. We treat her like a junior or a senior."
Added Sibera, her catcher: "She kept her focus the whole game and pulled it out. She struck out some great batters."
Strong hitting
Sibera went 3-for-4 -- she doubled and scored in the fourth inning -- and Erin Gilmour had two hits for the Tigers, whose lone loss came against undefeated MAC leader Canfield.
"This will shake things up [in the MAC]," Ferenac said. "It puts us back in the hunt."
And it gives them a big confidence boost. Although Howland started well, it needed a big win to prove to others it was for real.
"A game like this is what high school softball is all about," Ferenac said. "They're a premier program and their catcher [junior Kari Thompson] is phenomenal.
"Their coach [Lamport], their staff and their players exude excellence. We're really excited about the win."
Thompson, incidentally, had a terrific game, crushing a solo home run in the fourth and doubling in the seventh. She also came about three feet from hitting an opposite field home run in the fifth and, for good measure, threw a Howland runner out trying to steal in the second.
Jenna Susany and Ciera Urichich each added two hits for Poland.
"It's just one game," Lamport said. "We've got to put it behind us and work to get better."
scalzo@vindy.com