Power surge boosts SL

Wed, May 14, 2008

SPRING LAKE — Jacque Garrison and Angel Mendiola joined an exclusive club Tuesday.

Both Spring Lake seniors powered home runs over the fence at the Lakers' Wanrooy Field, joining former player Heidi Holmes as the only Spring Lake players to do so.

In the process, the pair helped the Lakers tighten their grip on the top spot in the Lakes Eight Conference with a pair of surprisingly-lopsided victories over the rival Fruitport Trojans.

Mendiola drove her homer out of the park in the first inning of a 10-1 Game 1 Lakers' win. Garrison's shot came during her team's 16-1 four-inning win in Game 2.

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"It was kind of hard to go up there to bat after Angel hit hers," Garrison said. "Everybody was just clicking in the hitting. We've had some streaks where some people were getting hot, but today, everybody was hot."

To make things worse for the Trojans, Spring Lake sophomore pitcher Taylor Keyser had her best stuff going as she allowed just five hits in the opener, then threw a no-hitter in the nightcap. She struck out a combined 11 batters.

The Trojans' only earned run came on senior shortstop Whitney Stratton's over-the-fence homer to lead off the second inning in the opener.

Fruitport's run in Game 2 came on a throwing error by the Lakers. For the most part, however, Spring Lake played outstanding defense.

"We didn't hit tonight, and that's frustrating," said Trojans' coach Bob Dorman. "We've got six girls batting over .400, but we couldn't convince anybody of that today.

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"I would have loved to see a 2-1, 3-2 game, but to get dimed in four innings. ... I feel sorry for our next opponent, because we've got to bounce back."

The Trojans were shorthanded Tuesday as their top offensive threat, catcher Brooke Bolek, missed the game for unspecified reasons. In addition, junior Jessica Slocum was hurt during a collision in Game 1 and didn't return for the second game.

The victory puts Spring Lake at 19-6 overall and 9-1 in league games with just four conference contests remaining. Fruitport falls to 6-4 in conference play. Laker coach Bill Core said Newaygo and Tri-County each have three league losses.

Dorman knows his team may very well have lost its chance to play for a league title.

"We wanted to be in control of our destiny, and we're not," he said.

Core, on the other hand, was thrilled to see his team's bats heat up.

"This is my 19th year, and I said this is one of my best-hitting teams I've had," Core said. "We've had a few girls get hot at the start of the year, and a few other girls get hot in the middle of the season. I said, boy, it would be nice for them all to be hot at the same time.

"Angel hit that home run right away, so they were playing deep, and that allowed us to drop a couple hits in. A lot of things went our way today, but it all started with us hitting the ball."

In the opener, Keyser finished with four hits for the Lakers. Amanda Douglas had two hits and scored three runs, while Hannah Bernard, Jordan Coleman and Chelsea Boyer each added a pair of hits.

In Game 2, the Lakers grabbed a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, then held that lead until the fourth, when they exploded for 13 runs, 11 of which came with two outs. Garrison hit a two-run triple, with one out. After Keyser popped out to first base, the Trojans committed five errors in the inning, which allowed the Lakers to bat around their order and push six unearned runs across the plate.

Douglas and Boyer's back-to-back run-scoring singles ended the game.

Garrison and Mendiola said the Lakers began building momentum for Tuesday's games over the weekend, when Spring Lake traveled to Traverse City. The team stayed at Great Wolf Lodge and practiced at Wuerfel Park, home of Traverse City's minor league baseball team, the Beach Bums. In addition, they played three tough games against Division 1 teams, going 1-2.

"This weekend helped a lot. We saw some very good pitchers," Garrison said.

"It was a good team bonding time," Mendiola added.

JUNIOR VARSITY: Fruitport swept Spring Lake Tuesday, 5-0 and 10-1. Maureen Mallas had a single for the Lakers in the opener, while Abby Keizer tallied a single and Shelby Shafer added a double in Game 2.