May 19, 2000

Confidence leads Raiders

By Matt Steiner
Sports Writer

BUCYRUS &emdash; Confidence on the mound and a confident defense behind Lakota ace Ashley Lockmiller led to the Raiders' first district championship Thursday.

Lockmiller struck out 10 Ontario batters while the Lakota defense committed just one error en route to a 3-1 win.

"They made the routine plays, and that's what it's about," Ontario coach Doug Carr said.

After each team scored all their runs in the second inning, the Warriors threatened in the fourth, putting two runners on base with one out. Lockmiller coaxed Brandy Hutchinson to bounce one back to the pitcher's mound for the second out. The runners moved up leaving two in scoring position for leftfielder Sarah Oleen.

Lockmiller looked focused and welcomed the situation with confidence.

"I new our defense was in the game, and they were ready to get anything that came their way," Lockmiller said.

Oleen battled, fouling off two pitches after she had two strikes on her. Lockmiller reached back and blew the third strike past the Ontario freshman ending the Warriors' charge.

"Our defense new what they had to do," Lakota coach Jan Stoudinger said. "(Lockmiller) came through with the big strikeout. They depend on her to do that for them."

After the three-run Lakota third, Ontario pitcher Amber Prosser kept the Warriors in the ballgame. She held the Lakota batters hitless in the fourth, fifth and six innings and didn't throw a walk in the game. The pitchers' duel ended with both giving up only four hits each.

According to Carr, the game came down to taking advantage of opportunities.

"They got some big hits when they needed them and we made some errors that cost us," Carr said. "One of the things that's really been our strength this year is getting big base hits when we need them. Today, we just didn't get one."

Lockmiller, Alyssia Moroschan and Renee Chaney scored the Lakota runs during the opportune third inning. Lockmiller scored on a fielder's choice with Chaney at the plate. Moroschan then came home on a Kristen Lentz sacrifice fly and Chaney crossed the plate on one of the Ontario errors.

As the game wound down, Lockmiller became tougher to hit. The Lakota junior struck out two batters in each of the sixth and seventh innings.

"We had a couple of games where we've been up and lost in the seventh inning," Lockmiller said. "So, I just tried to bear down, throw strikes and let the defense do the job."