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Poland plays for state softball title today
By TOM WILLIAMS
AKRON
Can a 30-1 softball team really be an underdog?
Probably not, but the answer will be revealed today when the Poland softball team goes for its first state championship.
At 10 a.m. at Firestone Stadium, the Bulldogs (30-1) will play Hebron Lakewood (28-5) for the Division II crown.
If Hebron Lakewood sounds familiar, it’s because the Lancers defeated Ursuline, 5-0, in last year’s Div. III title game for their second straight championship in that division.
“Winning two state championships and being here before, going through it all, I wouldn’t say it’s an advantage, but it’s not going to be all brand-new to them,” Poland coach Reid Lamport said following the Bulldogs’ 5-4 win over New Concord John Glenn in Thursday’s semifinal.
“They’ve [Lakewood] got a great tradition, they’ve had [some] pretty good seasons,” Lamport said. “You know they can play.”
So can the Bulldogs, who are undefeated against teams from Div. II. Poland’s loss was to Div. I Pickerington Central, 9-2, in a tournament in April.
The Lancers, from Licking County near Newark, recently played Pickerington Central, winning 6-1. However, that’s not the only common opponent that the Lancers and Bulldogs share.
Both defeated Columbus DeSales (Poland, 3-2; Lakewood, 3-1).
Lakewood beat Notre Dame Cathedral Latin, 11-10. In Poland’s district semifinal, the Bulldogs shut out NDCL, 3-0, with sophomore Erin Gabriel (21-0) tossing her second straight tournament no-hitter.
In 22 games, Gabriel has surrendered four earned runs in 135 innings. The only time she has trailed all season was Thursday when the Muskies took a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning by scoring four times (three runs were unearned).
At the plate, Gabriel has a .522 batting average and bats leadoff.
Sophomore Jenna Modic had three hits on Thursday that raised her batting average to .500. Junior Adriana Sikora, the clean-up hitter who patrols right field, is batting .488.
Poland’s seniors include first baseman Nicole White, second baseman Jessica D’Apolito, catcher Megan Hirschbeck and center fielder Jordan Palumbo.
The other starters are junior Chelsea McCree in left, sophomore shortstop Kalie Benson and designated player Emily Chandler.
“Obviously, I’m very proud of these young ladies,” Lamport said. “They’ve worked very hard and for us to be at this point in the season is a credit to them.”
The Lancers also survived a close call on Thursday to advance. Against Greenville (30-4), Lakewood squandered a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning by giving up four runs before rallying for two in their next at-bat for a 5-4 victory.
The Bulldogs will be facing a different pitcher than the one who shut out the Irish last June as Alissa Birkhimer (University of Akron) has graduated. Junior Alyssa Patznick will be on the mound. She had a 29-inning streak of scoreless innings until Thursday.