Softball: Burlington Central surges past Streamwood
Updated: April 9, 2012 10:32PM
The game plan was fairly simple for Burlington Central on Monday. With 40-plus mph wind gusts turning nearly every batted ball into an adventure, the clear objective was to just put the ball in play and let Mother Nature do the rest.
The Rockets did a great job of that, striking out just once all game while pounding out 13 hits in a 15-5, five-inning slaughter rule win against visiting Streamwood.
Bekah Harnish went 3-for-4 with four RBI to lead the attack for Burlington Central (10-5), which won its fourth in a row.
“I think we finally have the kinks worked out,” said Burlington Central coach Cray Allen. “We have been getting great pitching and the bats are coming around. Today we talked about just making solid contact. We knew if we could just keep putting the ball in play chances were we would do OK.”
After scoring a single run in the first inning the Rockets exploded for six runs in the second and seven more in the third before scoring the final run in the fifth. Harnish was an instrumental part of both big innings ripping a two-run double to left-centerfield in the second inning and adding a two-run single in the third.
“I’ve been working on some things in my batting lessons,” said Harnish. “Mainly focusing on waiting back on the ball and throwing my hands through the zone a little quicker.
“The whole team hit great today. We talked before the game about hitting hard on the ground and that if we did hit in the air to run hard because you never know what will happen on day like today.”
The Sabres led 2-1 heading into the bottom of the second, but they opened the door for Burlington Central by letting the first two Rocket batters reach base on errors. Haley Albamonte drove in the first run of the inning with an RBI single. After Harnish drove in her two runs Brooke Gaylord followed two batters later with a two-run single on a liner up the middle.
Burlington Central had five straight hits at one point in the third inning. Emily Bell roped an RBI double against the wind to right center and Albamonte added an RBI single earlier in the inning
Junior Rebecca Roscher started and threw all five innings to pick up her first win of the season. She scattered eight hits and struck out six batters. She also ended the game in the bottom of the fifth with a double to deep right center that scored Bell.
Kellee Conquest pitched the entire game for the Sabres (3-7) and was tagged with the loss. Eight of the runs she allowed were unearned. Conquest also had an RBI double in the second inning. Brittney Delao added an RBI triple for the Sabres and Jackie Jastrezebski added an RBI single.
“We hung in there for a few innings,” said Streamwood coach Nick Baird. “But that’s kind of how it has been for us this year. We faced a real tough team and they made more plays than us. Against teams like this we really need to step up the intensity and keep it all game.”
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