Miller blast propels Wolfpack to win
Published Saturday, May 17, 2008
Alyssa Miller says she’s used to broken bones — she’s had plenty.
After sitting out three games, she wasn’t going to let a broken arm stop her from hitting Friday.
So, in the bottom of the second inning against the Wasilla Warriors, the West Valley senior stepped to the plate for the first time this season.
Five pitches later, she found herself sliding into home to complete a three-run, inside-the-park home run that helped spark the Wolfpack to a 12-1 win at the Interior Girls Softball Association Fields.
“When I sat out for three games, not hitting, I got sick of it,” Miller said. “I came out and wanted to hit the ball.”
That’s just what she did, getting a ball right where she wanted it and sending a liner to deep left field, sliding into home in front of the relay from Wasilla second baseman Ashley Enderson.
“It was amazing. I had two (strikes) on me. I had two balls. I had two runners on. I just knew I had to hit the ball,” the No. 9 batter said. “It was my high inside pitch and I just railed it.”
The blast helped the Wolfpack, who are working at being more aggressive at the plate this season, find their swings.
Two batters after Miller’s home run, Fabienne Clere connected on an inside-the-park shot of her own.
“We’ve been working tremendously hard with hitting over the winter and all spring long,” West Valley coach Togi Letuligasenoa said. “Once we’ve gotten outside and started playing games, it’s all come together.
“Alyssa’s our nine hitter. It’s good see that spark come from our nine spot; that’s why we have her there. She’s a good enough hitter to be moved up in the lineup, but we have her at the bottom because sometimes, when you’re going through a bad spot, you need someone to pick you up.”
After Jennifer Brand tripled and scored on an error, the Wolfpack left the inning with a commanding 6-0 lead.
It was too big a hole for the young Warriors to dig out of.
“All of our pitchers are brand new — never pitched before this year. And it shows,’’ said Wasilla coach Sue Allen, whose team boasts just three upperclassmen. “We had a few walks in a row, few errors in a row, few passed balls in a row. This is a young team that is going to make a lot of mistakes.
“They get down, they get farther down. We just need to hit the ball and play baseball.”
The Warriors youth showed in the bottom of the fourth when the Wolfpack scored four runs on two hits.
The inning featured five walks, two wild pitches, a passed ball and an error. It all added up to more than enough run support for Wolfpack pitcher Sam Ahlstrom, who pitched all five innings, striking out 11 — including a swinging strikeout on a changeup that bailed her out of a jam in the fourth.
“It’s so hard when you do get a pitcher like Sam that throws hard and you’re expecting it to come hard. Then, you take 20 miles per hour off it, you’re out in front,” Letuligasenoa said. “Even if they do make contact, they’re not going to get a lot on it. She uses it in spots when she wants to and she uses it well.”
Patriots win
The North Pole Patriots had been working all week on bunting.
Renee Marshall showed that their work had paid off.
Marshall’s bunt single helped spark a sixth inning rally as the Patriots came from behind to take down Wasilla 6-4 Friday at the IGSA Fields.
With Tasha Thomas on first base, and the Patriots trailing 4-3, Marshall, the Patriots’ ninth hitter, sent a perfect bunt down the third base line.
Marshall beat the throw to first and Thomas went all the way to third on the play.
A Marshall stolen base and Wasilla error later, the Patriots had a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“Renee Marshall definitely had two beautiful bunt singles tonight that definitely put us in a spot to score the runs that we did,” Patriots coach Rod Avery said.
Liz Hall picked up the win, working all seven innings while striking out five and walking three.
Ashley Kaufman contributed two RBIs to the winning effort.
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