43
South Range’s Yanek blanks Columbiana
Yanek blanks Clippers
after a late scare
By Tom Williams
BEAVER TOWNSHIP
South Range junior pitcher Caragyn Yanek wasn’t fazed when the first three Columbiana batters worked full counts before striking out.
She wasn’t overly concerned that she need 51 pitches to get through the first three innings of Wednesday’s game.
And Yanek wasn’t worried when Alexis Cross hit a line shot off her leg to lead off the seventh inning with a one-run lead.
But when she fired a wild pitch that allowed Cross to take third base, Yanek admitted the Clippers had her full attention.
“I did get a little nervous there,” Yanek said. “But at the same time, I just kind of relaxed. When I get on the mound, I block everything out around me.”
The Clippers’ Kennedy Fullum fouled off two strike-two pitches then popped out in foul territory to first baseman Madison Weaver to seal South Range’s 1-0 victory.
“I knew my team would back me up so I was actually pretty confident [facing Fullum],” Yanek said.
Columbiana’s Holly Gotthardt and Alyssa Tohm combined to limit the Raiders (12-2) to three hits.
“We have three or four pitchers and we’re starting to mix them,” Columbiana head coach Jerry Beltempo said.
In the first three innings, Gotthardt allowed just two baserunners (one on a walk, the other on Morgan Czopur’s bunt single).
The Raiders needed just three pitches in their fourth at-bat to produce the game’s only run. After Codi Taylor singled, Weaver sacrificed her to second base. Freshman Hanna Dennison doubled to left-center field for the only RBI.
“She was a good No. 2 hitter,” South Range head coach Jeff DeRose said of his new No. 5 batter. “She’s pretty fast on the bases and Hanna brings power.
“And it shows. She’s batting [approximately] .340 right now.”
Tohm relieved Gotthardt and retired the Raiders’ final eight batters to keep the Clippers (11-2) within striking distance.
“We were trying to give them different looks,” Beltempo said of the pitching switch. “The main thing I was trying to do was keep it on the ground.”
Sophomore Marissa McDonough, the Clippers’ top pitcher, was unavailable after she fouled off a Yanek pitch that struck her throwing hand in the third inning. She left the game to get X rays.
The first time through the lineup, the Clippers made Yanek work.
“We fouled off a ton of pitches,” Beltempo said.
With one out in the second inning, Fullum reached base on a fielding error. Behind the plate, Dennison fired a strike to shortstop Taylor to retire Fullum on a steal attempt.
In the third inning, Morgan Highley beat out an infield single but was stranded when Elise Hammond grounded out.
Yanek retired the next nine batters.
DeRose, who was an assistant coach last season, said Yanek has been stronger this spring because she’s recovered from mononucleosis.
“Last year, she was very, very weak but she still had a darn good season,” DeRose said. “She’s back into a groove now.”