Softball: Chesterton falls to Huntington North at semistate semifinal
By Brian Peloza Post-Tribune correspondent June 2, 2012 7:26PM
Updated: July 7, 2012 8:13AM
WEST LAFAYETTE — Chesterton softball coach Louann Hopson didn’t need to think long to explain what went wrong on Saturday.
The Trojans lost to Huntington North, 3-1, in the first semifinal of the Class 4A Harrison Semistate.
“What cost us the game is that we took too many pitches,” Hopson said. “We just took too many pitches.”
Chesterton took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, scoring an unearned run on a walk, passed ball and fielding error.
Huntington North answered with two runs in the bottom of the first on a Kaylynn Robinson RBI single and Alyssa Hipple’s RBI double.
It would be all the runs the Vikings needed, as sophomore pitcher Erin Rethlake struck out 10. Rethlake, who has already committed to play for Kentucky, just returned from a knee injury in the sectional round after missing a large portion of the season.
“She’s a little rusty but she kept the ball in the strike zone and changed it up a little bit with her speeds some and she just did a tremendous job,” Huntington North coach Paris Seibold said. “She kind of kept them off balance. They’re a good club and had some good hitters on that team, and I’m surprised they didn’t pound the ball more.”
So was Hopson as Chesterton managed just four hits, with no multiple-hit innings.
“We’ve never seen (Rethlake) before, so you talk to who you can talk to,” Hopson said. “But the issue is we took too many strikes, way too many strikes.
“We kept telling them that the first hittable pitch you need to see but too many took the first one, fouled off the second one and then they’re at the mercy at the next one.”
Chesterton had runners on the corner with one out in the third, before consecutive popups to the shortstop ended the threat. The Trojans got a runner to third base in the fifth inning but could not get a key hit.
Huntington North added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, aided by an umpire’s call that a Chesterton infielder did not touch second base on an attempted double-play that led to both runners being safe.
“(The umpire) said my kid came off the base to catch the ball and didn’t come back on the base,” Hopson said. “She was standing on the base. (The extra run) affects the decision I can make in the last inning. If we’re playing for one run in the last at-bat, maybe you put down a bunt, but when you’re playing for two you can’t do that.”
Chesterton junior pitcher Megan Tymorek had two doubles, while Mallory McKee and Sarah Richards each had a single.
I think both teams had about he same number except I think ours were probably strung together more,” Huntington coach said.
