T-Birds tied for first in Wesco South
By Tony Dondero
Enterprise reporter
MILL CREEK
Shorewood’s Chloe Pope-Levison got the big hit and caught the final out as the Thunderbirds handed Jackson its first Wesco South loss in two years, 1-0, Friday, April 17.
Pitcher Olivia Jacobs scattered eight hits, struck out six, walked none, hit a batter and earned the shutout victory.
“It’s more than just a win,” Jacobs said. “It’s an emotional win.”
Until Friday, Jackson who has won or shared the league title every year since 2005, had won 24 consecutive league games. It’s last loss also came to the T-birds, 2-0, on May 8, 2007.
Shorewood, Jackson and Mountlake Terrace were all tied with 7-1 records after Friday’s games. Jackson and Terrace played Tuesday, after Enterprise deadlines.
The game’s lone run scored in the fourth. Pope-Levison ripped a 3-2 pitch that was low in the strike zone up the middle for a single to score Ashley Salazar from third.
Salazar doubled with two outs and reached third on an illegal pitch by Jackson pitcher Dani Jackman to set up the run.
The home plate umpire ruled that Jackman lifted her foot up off the rubber. He called it leaping.
“I haven’t seen her throw (an illegal pitch) in three years, especially that style, leaping,” Jackson coach Mike Moran said. “If that’s what he saw that’s what he saw. That was the difference.”
Jackman pitched well otherwise, giving up only four hits and striking out nine, but Jackson also left nine runners on base, including two each in the final two innings.
“We didn’t execute when we needed to,” Moran said. “(Jacobs) did a good job of not letting rallies go.”
Allison Higinbotham singled and Jacobs hit Cerise Knakal in the right leg in the bottom of the seventh putting two runners on with nobody out. But she battled back to strike out Chandra Tewari, who had singled in her previous two at-bats, on a fouled bunt attempt.
Then she coaxed Kimi Kumangai to pop out to Amanda Olsen at second. Carly McEachran hit the ball hard to center field but it was right at Pope-Levison, who had been moved to right-center by Shorewood assistant Paul Jensen.
“I was pretty determined not to let the runners score,” said Jacobs, who has a lot of movement on her pitches.
Shorewood made two errors early, but it didn’t cost them, and coach Tom Rizzuto said he’s been especially proud of his defense in the last few games.
“I couldn’t be happier this year,” said Rizzuto, who is in his 17th season at Shorewood. “This is the best play I’ve seen in a number of years.”
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