Vikings sweep pair of twinbills
What a difference a week makes for the Posen softball team. After losing three in a row, two to 10th-ranked Rogers City and honorable mention Alcona, the Vikings (5-3) turned things around with sweeps over Hale and Oscoda to start a four-game winning streak. They?ll hope to continue their winning ways against St. Ignace (Wednesday), and in North Star League doubleheaders at Mio and Hillman. The Vikings visit Mio today and Hillman Monday. The first game in each doubleheader starts at 4 p.m.
THE GIRLS LOOKED solid against Oscoda, a school with five times as many students (628 to 123). Posen hung in there and took a 6-2 win in game one, a victory that shouldn?t have been that close. It was a warm up for the second game of the doubleheader as the red and white blasted the Owls, 14-4. Paced by junior pitcher Michelle Bednarski?s 12 strikeouts in the first game, the Vikings broke a 1-1 tie in the third inning on a first pitch line drive up the gap by senior Julie Lewandowski. Two runs came in on the double to give Posen a 3-1 lead.
HER SISTER, sophomore Katie Lewandowski, a couple of batters later, lifted a flare over the infield which dropped in for another hit. When the inning was done, Posen led 5-1. Both teams added runs. The Vikings got theirs when Bednarski ripped a double, scoring sophomore Courtney Romel. In seven innings of work, Bednarski allowed six hits but no earned runs. Freshman Amanda Pieczynski got the start in game two and picked up the win. Junior Shannon Ciarkowski had a single, double and four RBI, while Romel was two-for-four with a pair of doubles.
Katie Lewandowski, freshman Beth Julian and junior Kyrie Kuffel all added two hits apiece. Kuffel had an RBI double. Pieczynski had her first RBI single, as she knocked in two runs. Pieczynski had come close to recording her first hit, ripping line shots, but they were at somebody each time. Many mor
THE SCORES in the league openers against Hale last Thursday were 14-2 and 10-2. Bednarski pitched both ends of the doubleheader and collected six hits. She was four-for-four in game one with four RBI, and belted a double and a triple in game two. Bednarski struck out 16 Eagle batters and allowed only four hits.
Julie Lewandowski was three-for-three and has been steady at the plate in the early going. She drove in four in game one, and went two-for-three in the second contest. Katie Lewandowski and Julian both had two hits apiece.
Sophomore Brittany Romel, senior Heather Budnik, Courtney Romel and Kuffel also added hits. In game two, the Vikes scored in every inning but the fifth. Ciarkowski had three hits including an inside-the-park solo homer. Lewandowski had a triple and senior Krystle Styma added a hit.