The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
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Hornets bounce back after sweep, win four straight
Sweeps of Wyandotte, Adrian get Saline back on track after losses
By Brian Cox, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: May 15, 2008
It may very well go down in Saline softball lore as the "Bucket Talk."
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Having been swept by Blissfield 4-1, 3-2 the day before, the Saline varsity softball team had just concluded a 7-1 victory in the first game of a doubleheader against Wyandotte, but coach Dawn Whitford wasn't satisfied with just the win. She sensed an unsettling lack of enthusiasm from the Hornets.
So before the nightcap, she pulled a bucket from the dugout to sit on and gathered her players around her for a talk.
"I wanted to know where my team was," said Whitford. "We weren't playing the way we know how."
She let the players do most of the talking. With Districts on the horizon in two weeks, she reminded them of their goals for the season and challenged each of them to seize opportunities to contribute.
The "bucket talk" worked. In the second game, the Hornets scored eight runs in the first inning before ever getting an out. They won 16-0 in three innings.
"I think they just needed the issue brought to the surface," said Whitford.
Joanna Walker, batting lead-off in place of an injured Emily Ouellette, got two hits, including a triple, scored twice and drove in two runs. Katy Black had two hits, including a double, two runs and two RBI. Kaitlin Ward had a double and two RBI. Lindsy Robinson also had a double and scored three runs. Amanda Laurent scored twice, and Amara Karapas had a double and two RBI. Lindsey Fairchild went 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs and Haley Stevens had two RBI and scored a run.
In the circle, Kayla Brophy faced only nine batters in three innings and recorded four strikeouts.
The ignition of the Hornet's potent offense was critical after being stymied the day before against Blissfield. Falling 4-1 in the opener against a pitcher who confounded them, the Hornets lost the second game 3-2 in nine innings.
"We had plenty of opportunities to put that second game away and didn't come through," said Whitford.
It was the first time the Hornets have been swept this season and their first back-to-back losses.
Saline rebounded in the opener against Wyandotte the day after, scoring in all but the fourth inning on their way to a 7-1 win. Lisa Brophy allowed only four hits and one walk while striking out seven. Karapas blasted a two-run homer and Ward and Stevens each collected two hits.
The spark lit during the "bucket talk" between games of the Wyandotte doubleheader carried over into Saline's contest against Adrian on Monday. The Hornets defeated the Maples 4-1 in the opener and then blanked them 14-0 in the nightcap.
In the top of the sixth of game 1, Ward belted a three-run double to grab the lead and Robison singled home Saline's fourth run.
Unlike the opener, the nightcap was never in doubt. The Hornets led the Maples 9-0 in the seventh when they padded their lead with five more runs for a 14-0 win.
Ouellette had two hits and two runs. Alyssa Robison, Ward, Karapas, and Stevens all had doubles. Amanda Laurent had a two-RBI single and Fairchild scored three runs. Katie Chapman had a single.
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