Softball: Carmel's seniors have plenty of clout
Believe it or not, St. Viator had a lead in this game after Adeline Swiderski's ringing double in the first inning.
Carmel (19-10) batted just four times but rang up 17 runs on 16 hits and it wasn't close as the Corsairs beat the injury-plagued Lions 17-3 in 5 innings.
The main advantage of hitting 5 homers in this romp?
"You don't have to run,'' joked Carmel catcher, Amanda Elert, who hit 2 of those fence-clearing blasts.
After 29 games, the slugging Corsairs have 54 homers. Last year's squad managed 60, and that team set records.
Winning pitcher Claire Petrus, headed to Wisconsin-Oshkosh next year, delivered the first big blow of the day. Her 3-run opposite-field homer erased the Lions' only lead.
"We don't really try to hit homers,'' Petrus said.
The right-hander did not have one clean inning on the mound. The Lions (9-17) managed 11 hits, but Petrus was never in danger of losing this one.
"That wasn't unexpected,'' Petrus said. "St. Viator has some muscle and they hit the gaps."
Following Petrus' 3-run blast, left-fielder Emma Bartz blasted a solo homer.
Leadoff hitter Jan Geisey opened the homer parade in the second. Elert launched one with one out in the second. Karina Falkstrom (3-for3, 3 RBI) drove in 2 runs with a single in the second and the Carmel lead was 8-1.
To be fair, the Lions have six players out of the lineup with injuries and illnesses.
"We have some good athletes,'' said St. Viator coach John Scotillo. "But it's our year for injuries. Carmel is very good and well coached and their pitcher (Petrus) is really good."
Another 4-run frame was produced in the third inning. Elert was in the middle of the action again, with a 3-run homer. There were also 2 walks and a hit by pitch in this inning. Falkstrom's single brought in the fourth run.
Elert, headed to Madison, certainly enjoys being a member of this Carmel team.
"We have a lot of fun,'' Elert said. "We really enjoy each other."
Petrus agreed with this assessment. It was senior day and both players were honored.
"We have great team chemistry,'' Petrus noted. "We are very loose on the field."
Carmel's final at-bat was the fourth. Another 5 hits went up on the board. Elert was held to a very long single when her bid for a third homer was knocked down by the fence. Pinch hitter Flynn Johnson's bid for a homer was also denied by the wall.
Trailing by 16 runs in the top of the fifth, the Lions did not go down easily. Meg Naughton doubled in a run, and Jenna Breslin (3-for-3) singled in another before Petrus shut down the rally with a strikeout to end the game.