Huskies sweep Stags in doubleheader
May 2, 2018
Game 1
Sporting her throwback uniform, junior pitcher Abby Bishop took to the circle for the Huskies in their game against the Bishop Miege Stags Tuesday, May 1 in the first edition of their doubleheader.
It took no time for Bishop to establish herself as a dominant force in the circle.
Bishop silenced the Stags for the duration of the game. In the first three innings, Bishop retired all nine Bishop Miege batters she faced. Bishop said she attributed her clean slate in the first few innings to her defense.
“I felt pretty confident in my defense, so I just knew like if I put it in there then they’re gonna field it pretty well,” Bishop said.
Similarly, the offense for BVNW was performing well. In the bottom of the first inning, sophomore Audrey Warner hit a leadoff-single. After making it to third base, Warner scored on a passed ball to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead. This would be the first of 12 runs the Huskies rolled off in the game.
With an early lead, Bishop had no problem finishing out the game. After a perfect first three innings, Bishop allowed two hits and one run in the fourth inning, but Bishop was able to escape any trouble the Stags offense provided.
After taking the lead in the first inning, the Huskies put up two runs in each of the next three innings, giving them a comfortable 7-1 lead going into the fifth.
In what would be her last inning, Bishop recorded three straight outs in the fifth inning. Bishop said while there were some parts of her game that could have used some fine-tuning, she was proud of her complete game and the Huskies performance.
“I feel like I could have hit my spots a little better, but I mean you can’t say anything about a win,” Bishop said.
The Huskies continued their dominance in the bottom of the fifth inning as they scored five runs. This five-run inning solidified a Huskies win as BVNW run-ruled Bishop Miege, 12-1.
*Reporting by Ben Brown
Game 2
BVNW lead Bishop Miege, 3-0, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning and zero outs. Decked out in ‘90s attire Throwback Night, freshman third baseman Olivia Shin stepped up to the batter’s box, and slammed a base-clearing double, giving the Huskies a 6-0 edge over the Stags. The Huskies dominated the Stags, 15-0, largely due to their patient, consistent approach in the batter’s box.
While BVNW scored just one run in the first inning, their bats heated up quickly in the second inning, as the Huskies brought in eight runs.
Despite coming into the game with knowledge that the Stags would churn slower pitching than what they were used to this season, head coach Kim White attributes the second inning’s offensive stride to the team’s ability to maintain a patient approach at the plate, and freshman Olivia Shin’s base-clearing double.
“I’m really proud of the girls because they were patient at the plate,” White said. “We had a couple of walks in that inning, and then freshman Olivia Shin came up big and hit a bases-clearing double. We’ve talked all season about getting the key hit when we needed it, and she responded today.”
Shin said she stepped up to the plate knowing it would be integral for her to take advantage of the full bases opportunity.
“I knew I needed a timely hit,” the freshman third baseman said. “I needed to hit it to the right side to get the runners around, so I just tried to produce for my team.”
Sophomore Audrey Warner continued the Huskies’ powerful offensive streak as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the third inning. With a 3-0 count, Warner smashed an inside-the-park homerun over the centerfielder’s head.
White said she approached Warner before her at-bat, and told her to take advantage of the Stags’ shallow positions in the outfield.
“I’m really excited for her that she came through tonight,” White said. “That homerun for her is big.”
Audrey echoed White’s thoughts, and said her homerun continued the offensive momentum from the previous inning.
“Right before I was talking to coach White and she was saying ‘Audrey, everyone’s in. You just have to hit out,’” Warner said laughing. “She was saying how I should use [junior] Haley Shin’s muscles because Haley has big muscles from fat arm Friday. But I was like ‘What, coach White? I can use my own muscles.’ And then I hit it to the fence. I just think it was a good way to start off the inning and it really got the momentum going because we were able to finish it out.”
The Stags were unable to gather any consistent offensive strength, producing zero runs in the duration of the game.
BVNW looks to continue their offensive momentum against Blue Valley North this Thursday at the D.A.C at 4:30.
*Reporting by Anna Cowden
