Softball: Anna Eckholm, Hannah Perryman power Elgin victory

Updated: April 18, 2012 8:52PM

Moments before her at bat against Batavia pitcher Katie Coleman in the bottom of the sixth inning during a scoreless tie, Elgin third baseman Anna Eckholm was having a moment in the dugout.

“Oh my gosh, [Eckholm] was so frustrated she struck out [in the third],’’ teammate and pitcher Hannah Perryman said. ‘‘She kept saying ‘I can’t hit that inside pitch, I can’t do it.’ ’’

Perryman told Eckholm that she was an amazing hitter. Eckholm proved her right by belting a home run to left for the only run of the game that was good for a 1-0 Upstate Eight River win.

“I have been having a hard time adjusting to that and decided to move off the plate,” Eckholm said. “This feels real good and it feels good to give Hannah back something.”

Perryman was dominating from start to finish, throwing a one-hitter — a bunt single by Erin Costigan in the fourth — while striking out 15 and improving to 8-5 for the Maroons (11-8, 4-4). She didn’t allow a runner past first the entire game.

Her most tense moments came against Bulldogs slugger Katie Ryan, who is also her summer teammate on the Wasco Diamonds 18U Gold.

Ryan walked on four pitches her first at bat, then flied to short center in the fourth and just missed a soft-lining single to left center which was caught on the run by shortstop Bri Wright.

“She is a really good hitter and I definitely wasn’t going to give her anything,” Perryman said. “Before the game we kind of waved at each other.”

Coleman (2-6) was equally as effective for the Bulldogs (9-10, 3-5), giving up two hits, the other to Perryman, while striking out 11.

“This was a tough one but you have to give [Eckholm] credit,’’ Batavia coach Ashley Szymski said. ‘‘She got the whole ball.

‘‘She did what she had to do to give her team the win.’’

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