May 30, 1999

Eagles to make second straight trip to state tournament

By Dave Feltner
Sports Editor

FINDLAY -- It's not like Lindsay Gervais is the kind of pitcher that needs to be given a break.

So naturally, when the Colonel Crawford ace got one on Friday afternoon, she hunkered down and took full advantage.

The Eagles scored a pair of unearned runs in the first inning, and that turned out to be a mile's worth of cushion for the fireballer. Gervais no-hit the Stockaders in the Division III regional final power match-up to secure the Eagles' second straight trip to the state tournament after a 2-0 win over the Stockaders.

The no-hitter is nothing new for Gervais (17-0), who fanned 11 Stockaders. It was her seventh this year and fourth of the tournament. But this one came against an explosive Stockader lineup, one that hit .342 as a team this season.

And in the modest of fashions, Gervais admitted that she didn't even have her best stuff.

"My rise-ball wasn't working as well as I like today," she said. "It was humid today so it was hard to get any movement so I had to mix it up a lot because they are a great hitting team.

"The humidity made it tough to get any movement, plus they're good hitters. They were really patient."

As it turned out, Gervais stole the headlines right away from Old Fort pitcher Erin Rau.

Rau gave up two hits in the first inning, and another to lead off the second, but that was it. Colonel Crawford had just three base runners the rest of the game, all reaching on walks.

Both Eagle runs were unearned and were set up by a crucial error, the only one of the game by the Stockaders.

With one out in the first, CC's Stephanie Surina beat out and infield hit, and Gervais followed by laying down a bunt.

The ball rolled just past Rau's glove, into no-man's land. Second baseman Rosie Ortiz finally got to it, but Julie Koch couldn't flag down her throw at third, and Surina scooted home with the game's first run.

Then, with Gervais at third, Rau got Allison Martin to pop up to first baseman Rachel McCalla, but Rau's next pitch sailed to the backstop, allowing Gervais to come home with the second run.

"We just had the one mistake," Old Fort coach Ron Rau said. "Other than that I thought this was just a great game. Both pitchers pitched great. She had a no-hitter and Erin just gave up the three hits, and the bunt was one. What else can you say? We got beat by a good team."

The Stockaders, who lose Randi Whitman and Koch to graduation, had seven baserunners in the game, three on walks, but got a runner to second base just one time.

That came in the fourth when clean-up hitter Heather Webb drew a lead-off walk. Pinch runner Cassandra Frankart moved to second on a wild pitch, but Gervais responded by fanning Seigley and Rau. Rachel McCalla walked, giving OF a pair of baserunners for the only time in the game, but Gervais got Ortiz to pop up to second.

Several Old Fort batters gave Gervais a fight and fought off several pitches, but the Stockaders could never find a hit.

Seigley came the closest, flying out to the fence in center field to end the sixth, while Abby Kingsborough also flew out to deep center to end the game.

"Lindsay is just at such a high plateau right now," Colonel Crawford coach Chuck Huggins said. "She's just phenomenal. She is so focused every game. She's just having a lot of fun taking this team to another state appearance.

"A lot of times their batters were just off from making good contact. They were right there," he said of the Stockader hitters. "I just got done talking to (coach Rau) and I told him that it's a matter of inches. They were right on some of those pitches."

The Eagles third hit came off the bat of Jenny Radke, who singled to lead of the second. She was stranded at second when Erin Rau fanned April Rader and got Swinehart to pop up to Ortiz at second.

"I wasn't too worried (after the first inning)," coach Rau said. "You have to score anyway to win the game, and we have the horses to do it. But she pitched a great game. It was one of those days. We had our chances. Seigley got ahold of one, but came up just short."

That was all the break Gervais needed.