43
Poland chasing Central Region crown
Locals No. 5 seed
for bracket play
By JASON HADDIX
INDIANAPOLIS
The Poland Little League softball team has ridden the emotional roller coaster — from the joys of a no-hitter to the sorrows of being the victims of a 10-run rule game — in the Central Region tournament.
The latter came at the hands of Indiana, 11-1, as the two teams resumed Sunday’s weather-suspended game on Tuesday.
Mix in a pair of closely contested games, each coming down to the final innings to decide the outcome and Poland (2-2) seems to be battle tested and ready for bracket play.
“After we had our Missouri game we saw our draw and thought it was going to be three good games against three good teams,” Poland coach Matt Bobbey said. “We knew it was going to prepare us and the tough battles were going to get us ready for bracket play.”
The single-elimination bracket portion of the tournament gets begins today at 11 a.m. Poland earned the No. 5 seed and will face No. 4 Nebraska (2-2) in a rematch of Monday afternoon’s heartbreaking 4-3 Poland loss. The winner will advance to the nightcap of the two-game semifinal round to face top-seed Iowa (4-0) at 4.
“We have played solid ball thus far in the tournament,” Bobbey said. “It is ironic that we are getting Nebraska in the first bracket play game since that is the one team that we thought we left a little on the table against.”
The battle-tested squad did not have a standout superstar during pool play, but instead was a balanced machine the demonstrated what playing like a team means.
Abby Farber and Cammie Lattanzio led the Poland offense during pool play.
Farber drove in three runs on four hits with a pair of walks in her 11 plate appearances. She also served as the catalyst during the tournament-changing fifth inning on Monday against Michigan when she walked to start the inning.
Lattanzio’s big blow can in the very same fifth inning her 2-run double gave Poland the lead. During the four games of pool play she collected three hits and drove in four with a pair of walks.
Brooke Bobbey, Lexi Diaz and Adeline Schweers joined Farber in the four hit club, while Connie Courgas and Jackie Grisdale joined Lattanzio with three hits apiece.
Julia Eich added a pair of hits, while Rachel Wolfe, Carolyn Boccieri and Kenzie Szolek were held hitless. The latter three however each drew a walk apiece and each scored a run.
“Whenever we have played well and won, it has been a top to bottom team effort,” Matt Bobbey said. “I will say that our big hitter have hit the ball decent, and that is still there, but we have not broke out the bats yet. We have not hit as well as we are capable of.”
Brooke Bobbey led the way for Poland in the circle. The left-hander pitched in each of the four pool play games, throwing 162/3 innings.
She allowed nine runs on 21 hits, while striking out 14 and walking three.
Lexi Diaz, who Matt Bobbey said is a nice change of pace pitcher to bring in, saw two innings action during the split-day game with Indiana. She gave up eight runs (seven earned) on six hits with six walks.
“The whole tournament, Brooke has been very consistent and thrown a lot of strikes,” Matt Bobbey said. “She has given us an opportunity to win and that is all we can ask. In return, we have to give her the run support she needs to get the job done the rest of the way.”
Matt Bobbey said Poland’s goal is to win the Central Region and now they are just three games away from punching a ticket to Portland, Ore., and the Little League Softball World Series.