softball poll notes
I just returned from a great matchup on the softball field between Bristol Eastern and Southington. Of course, both are perennial powers and state title contenders each year. This year is no different.
I am honored to have a vote in the New Haven Register's state softball poll, and I'll openly say that while the Knights have fallen out of the top 10 according to the voting, I have continued to vote them well within it. After watching them play the concensus number two in the state (exactly where I've been voting Eastern for several weeks) I will say anybody who doesn't think Southington is among the top 10 teams is not only ignorant, but is also fooling themselves.
I'll say it this way: put the Knights on a field with Lyman Memorial, the current 10th ranked team in the poll, and you won't see a competitive game like we did between Southington and Eastern. Southington would wipe them out.
But enough on that. I wish I could say it was a flawlessly played game between these elite teams, but it was not. Both made mistakes. But both have pitchers who know how to work out of jams and who have very good stuff. I'd easily say Sara Plourde (Eastern) is the second best pitcher in the state, and Sarah Lempicki (Southington) is better than people think. I just hope Southington can earn its respect at some point, because the Knights don't have a signature win yet. They should get a lot of revenge for their one bad loss when they face Rockville again. But they might have to wait till the tournament to earn their laurels, if they are up to the task.
Being at Southington softball made me think of former Knight Elisa VanKirk, one of the funniest people I've ever met, and one of the scariest hitters to step on a diamond. So I looked up her stats at George Washington University and found out that while she is hitting just .235, she is leading the team with six home runs this year. Get that average up, VK, or coach Bores will be disappointed.
Unfortunately, it was Plourde who hit a critical, VK-like home run over the fence on Friday, leading her team to a 3-2 win.
I am honored to have a vote in the New Haven Register's state softball poll, and I'll openly say that while the Knights have fallen out of the top 10 according to the voting, I have continued to vote them well within it. After watching them play the concensus number two in the state (exactly where I've been voting Eastern for several weeks) I will say anybody who doesn't think Southington is among the top 10 teams is not only ignorant, but is also fooling themselves.
I'll say it this way: put the Knights on a field with Lyman Memorial, the current 10th ranked team in the poll, and you won't see a competitive game like we did between Southington and Eastern. Southington would wipe them out.
But enough on that. I wish I could say it was a flawlessly played game between these elite teams, but it was not. Both made mistakes. But both have pitchers who know how to work out of jams and who have very good stuff. I'd easily say Sara Plourde (Eastern) is the second best pitcher in the state, and Sarah Lempicki (Southington) is better than people think. I just hope Southington can earn its respect at some point, because the Knights don't have a signature win yet. They should get a lot of revenge for their one bad loss when they face Rockville again. But they might have to wait till the tournament to earn their laurels, if they are up to the task.
Being at Southington softball made me think of former Knight Elisa VanKirk, one of the funniest people I've ever met, and one of the scariest hitters to step on a diamond. So I looked up her stats at George Washington University and found out that while she is hitting just .235, she is leading the team with six home runs this year. Get that average up, VK, or coach Bores will be disappointed.
Unfortunately, it was Plourde who hit a critical, VK-like home run over the fence on Friday, leading her team to a 3-2 win.
Labels: softball
posted by Ryan Pipke at
7:56 PM
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