Softball: Shannon Hohman dominates as Waubonsie Valley tops Metea Valley

Updated: May 23, 2012 9:21PM

Freshman pitcher Shannon Hohman dominated as Waubonsie Valley defeated Metea Valley 6-0 Wednesday in the 4A Metea Valley Regional semifinal.

Playing as the “home” team, the No. 5-seeded Warriors (26-8) escaped a two-walk first-inning by Hohman to down the 12th-seeded Mustangs (17-17) in Aurora. Hohman (21-5) settled down after that, hurling a two-hitter and striking out two and walking three in a complete-game shutout. She did not allow the first Mustangs hit until Emily Baker singled with one out in the fifth.

“I had a really rough start and I came in the dugout and every single girl was giving me a high five, saying, ‘Go out there and do your best next time.’ And my mentality just changed (after that) because I was a little upset about my first inning but knowing that my team is there to pick me up, they were defensively behind me 100 percent today and I needed that today, when I didn’t pitch my best.”

After Waubonsie Valley got out of the first on a double play off an infield popup, it quickly responded offensively. Jessica Sarch singled with one out, stole second and scored on a Mustangs error.

The Mustangs made four errors for the game and the Warriors took full advantage, scoring four of their runs either directly or indirectly off errors.

“At this point in the year, that’s what teams do,” Metea Valley coach Kris Kalivas said. “And you have to play your best, and I thought we played well but the kids would admit we didn’t play our best today.”

She said the Mustangs’ failure to score in the first, given their first-and-third, one-out opportunity, swayed the game’s momentum in favor of the Warriors.

“We get that run across and it’s a different ballgame,” Kalivas added.

The Mustangs did not get two runners on in any inning after the first.

Waubonsie Valley added a pair of runs in the third, capped by an Amanda Minahan two-run single. After tacking on one more run in the fifth when Amanda Lack scored on a wild pitch, the Warriors added two in the sixth on a Haylie Wensel RBI single and a sacrifice fly by Lack.

Metea Valley starter Stephanie Bova (6-9) went six innings and surrendered six runs, four of them unearned. She struck out three, allowed nine hits and did not issue a walk.

Waubonsie Valley also won two regular-season meetings with the Mustangs.

The Warriors will face Plainfield Central, the No. 4 seed in the East Aurora Sectional, in the regional final Saturday at 11 a.m. Waubonsie Valley beat its upcoming opponent 5-2 early in the year.

“That was one of our first games for both teams so it was very early in the season and (there’s been) a lot of change (since),” Waubonsie Valley coach Aly Kelley said. “We’ve grown as a team and I’m sure they have, too. And we’re ready for that. We don’t take that into account by any means that we beat a team (previously).”

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