Wood Softball Blanks Pioneers, 4-0

Posted: April 3, 2015
By JOSH DORSEY
Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — The James Wood Colonels softball team took advantage of every mistake the Millbrook Pioneers made on Thursday night and paired it with stellar performances from freshmen pitchers Lani Spielman (five innings) and Lauren King (two) to come away with a 4-0 Northwestern District victory Thursday at James Wood.

Thursday’s game did not count toward the Conference 21 standings, but the next game between the two teams will.

Millbrook (0-5, 0-1 Northwestern) recorded six errors, including four in the first inning. James Wood (4-2, 1-1) made sure to take advantage — the Colonels scored twice in that first inning — while shutting the Pioneers down with its pitching and defense.

“I think we played better [than we have,” said James Wood coach Todd Baker. “The last couple of games have been shaky defensively and we haven’t hit the ball very well. I think we came out with a little bit of a different approach at the plate and we definitely need to work on the bunting game but I think we had some key hits.

“We pitched really well of course. We played good defense behind our pitchers. They are a solid team and they always give us a fit. Millbrook and James Wood is always a good game but I thought we came together tonight and did what we had to do.”

Spielman admitted that she was much more confident on the mound with the outstanding defense her team was playing behind her.

“We had great defense today,” Spielman said. “The whole team. We did a lot better hitting today than the last few games.”

The freshmen pitching duo of Spielman and King was nearly unhittable. Only allowing one hit between the two of them. Spielman pitched five complete innings and earned the win and recorded seven strikeouts while King finished the game off with two clean innings.

The Pioneers only real threat came in the second inning in which they recorded their only hit. Millbrook managed to load the bases but the possible rally was nixed when Spielman spun a pitch by senior Rebecca Miller for an inning-ending strikeout.

“I can’t say enough about both of our pitchers,” said Baker. “They are both freshmen coming in at a varsity situation and Lani especially hit her spots well tonight and put good spin on the ball. It really kept them off-balance. Tonight I thought the freshmen played like seniors and we stepped up big time.”

James Wood took the lead in the first inning before recording a hit. Sophomore third baseman Alyssa Brown and freshman catcher Lindsey Anderson were able to maneuver around the bases and score as a result of four first-inning errors by the Pioneers.

The Colonels did add two singles from Taylor Rizzari (2 for 3, run scored) and Spielman (1 for 3) in the inning, but Millbrook was able to escape by only giving up the two runs.

“It’s very frustrating for our pitcher, especially working so hard,” said Millbrook coach Mandee Madden. “Our defense knows they have to do much better. The other night we had 10 errors, we’ve cut that down to six and we are just looking to improve on that every single game.

“I think the best part about tonight was we didn’t think about those errors later on in the game and we kept on making great plays. We had girls really step up for us defensively tonight if you erase those first two innings.”

Despite recording the loss, Millbrook senior pitcher Sarah Clark only allowed one earned run in her complete-game start. She also recorded five strikeouts on the night.

The Colonels scored their only earned run of the night in the second inning on an RBI bunt off the bat of junior outfielder Taylor Woolsey that led to a play at the plate in which the umpire ruled that Pioneer catcher Natalie Roy missed the tag on Lauren King to give the Colonels a 3-0 lead.

“I could say it’s frustrating but at the same time I’ve been there,” Clark said. “I’m not a pitcher, I’m a fielder. I know what that’s like. That’s going to happen so you can’t get mad, you just wipe it off and move on to the next pitch.”

James Wood added its fourth and final run in the third inning. Rizzari lead off the inning with a double. The Colonels used small ball to bunt her over to third base, where she scored on a passed ball and the Pioneers’ sixth error.

“I’m very proud of [Clark’s] effort,” Madden said. “Every game she’s improved and she’s decreased the amount of walks and she’s kept us in games. The other night she had 13 strikeouts and tonight she had six or seven. She’s keeping us in a lot of games.

“Our offense has to work for her. For her to step up this year not really being a full-time pitcher and for her to step into that position I couldn’t ask for more than that right now.”

Even with the 0-5 start Millbrook showed promise and left the field with their heads held high and looking towards a bright season down the road.

“Luckily we’ve got three practices to figure it out before we play Loudoun County on Tuesday,” Madden said. “I really think it’s just going to be continuous reps and our girls getting to play together.

“This is our fifth game. It’s been a rough start but every game I think we’ve improved. I think we are headed in the right direction and the best part about these girls is that they aren’t going to give up regardless of what the score is. I don’t have a doubt that these girls are going to come back and surprise a few people this season.”