04-18-2019 Tri-City Area Sports

BALL BATTLE… Coloma and Hartford battled on the soccer field Wednesday evening, April 10. Here, Coloma’s Abby Vandermolen (5) and Addy Kimmerly (9) work to thwart the effort of Hartford’s Abigail Lopez as time winds down during the first half of play with the score tied at 0. Coloma would score twice in the second half to seal the 2-0 shutout. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Hartford Prress Box By Jerrod Birmele

Hartford’s student-athletes returned from spring break with an active schedule of sporting events last week. In total, more than 10 games, meets and matches were contested, and many of them were very competitive until the very end.

Hartford Softball competes in seven games, goes 3-4 for the week

The Hartford Indian Varsity Softball team returned to the diamonds last week, after taking a 13-day break for spring vacation. The ladies split both of the first two doubleheaders of the spring, meaning they came into action at 2-2 on the young season. This year’s team has plenty of underclassmen dotting the roster. Every game that they can get will be incredibly helpful for later in the season and throughout the years to come.

BRINGING THE HEAT… In the second heat Saturday of the 100 meter preliminaries, Hartford sophomore Osvaldo Hernandez and Watervliet freshman Mason Pennington depart the blocks and set a frenzied pace. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

The Lady Indians began the week on Tuesday, Apr. 9, when they hosted rival Watervliet at the Indian Softball Diamond. Watervliet won game one, 15-10, before the Lady Indians took the nightcap, 11-3.

In game one, the Lady Panthers busted the game open with a seven-run second inning, capped by five run-scoring hits. The Lady Indians came back and made it interesting in the bottom of the third inning, when they scored four runs in the frame. The teams traded runs the rest of the way, and Watervliet went on to win the game by five runs.

Lainey Goodson took the mound loss for the Lady Indians, giving up 14 runs on 16 hits, while striking out three and walking one. Hartford managed 22 hits in the contest, including four hits from Megan Nelson, who ended 4-for-5 in game one at the plate. Goodson, Ariah Jordan, Mikenzie Chambers, Karlee Scherer, Jaelyne Galvan and Vanessa DeLaRosa also had multi-hit games. On defense, the Lady Indians committed five costly errors, but were led by DeLaRosa, who had eight chances in the field.

In game two, Hartford got out of the gate strong; as they scored two runs in the bottom half of the first inning to take a quick 2-0 lead. After holding the Lady Panthers scoreless in the top half of the second, the Lady Indians put the game out of reach with six runs in the bottom half of the frame, courtesy of five run-scoring hits, to take a commanding 8-0 lead. Both teams would manage three more runs from there.

Karly Manning took the win in the circle for Hartford. She gave up three runs on seven hits, while striking out six Lady Panther batters. The Lady Indians tallied 16 hits in the contest, led by Jaelyne Galvan’s 4-for-4 evening at the plate. Vanessa DeLaRosa, Lainey Goodson, Karlee Scherer and Mikenzie Chambers also added multi-hit games. On defense, Hartford committed three errors, but was led in chances on the field by DeLaRosa, with six.

On Thursday, Apr. 11, the Lady Indians traveled to River Valley to take on a Lady Mustangs team coached by former Hartford alumnus, Dan Schaser. Like the preceding games before it, it was a split once again in this doubleheader. River Valley took game one by a close 7-6 margin; before Hartford held on to win game two, 10-8.

In game one, Hartford got the early lead by scoring once in the top half of the first inning, but they did not hold onto it long, as River Valley took control of the game with four runs in the bottom of the third inning to take the lead for good. The Lady Indians trailed 7-3 going into the top of the sixth inning and scored three runs on a single and a triple in the frame, but could not get the tying run across the plate. They failed to score in the final inning, and lost by one run.

Lainey Goodson took the mound loss for the Lady Indians, pitching all six innings. She gave up seven runs on twelve hits, while walking one and striking out five. Goodson did her best to help her cause, going 3-for-4 at the plate, while teammate Destiny Chacon added another multi-hit game on offense for Hartford. On defense, the Lady Indians committed a total of five errors, but were led in the field by Vanessa DeLaRosa, who had five chances.

In game two, the Lady Indians scored early and often, and it started with an RBI groundout in the first inning to give them a 1-0 lead. The game was low-scoring early, but Hartford saved the biggest inning for later, when they scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning, courtesy of four run-scoring hits to pad their lead to 10-2. They needed every bit of it, as the Lady Mustangs plated six runs in the bottom half of the frame. But Lady Indian pitching and fielding was solid enough to hold on for the win in the end.

Karly Manning got the win in the circle for Hartford, courtesy of her complete game. She pitched all seven innings, giving up eight runs on thirteen hits, but managed just one walk and struck out eight. The Lady Indians mustered 16 hits, and had five players, including Lainey Goodson, Megan Nelson, Vanessa DeLaRosa, Manning and Jaelyne Galvan, score multi-hit games, with DeLaRosa, Nelson and Goodson each recording three hits. On defense, the Lady Indians had another five error affair.

On Saturday, Apr. 13, the Lady Indians traveled to Dowagiac to participate in the eight-team Chieftain Invitational. Hartford went 1-2 on the day. In game one, they fell to Elkhart Memorial out of Indiana, 9-1. In game two, Hartford went up against the host team, Dowagiac, and scored a 12-8 victory, and ended their day with an 8-0 loss in the third game of the afternoon against Bridgman.

At eleven games into the season, Hartford sits at 5-6 on the year, without playing in any Southwest 10 Conference games. That will change as the Indians are scheduled in a pair of conference doubleheaders. On Monday, Apr. 15, they will have hosted Eau Claire at the Indian Softball Diamond, before traveling to Bangor on Thursday, Apr. 18 to meet up with the Vikings. Check back next week to see how the team performed!

Hartford Girls Soccer falls to Coloma

The Hartford Indian Girls Soccer team had just one match on the docket after returning from spring vacation. The ladies came into action with a 1-1 record on the season, while outscoring their opponents by an 8-2 margin. Last week saw them take on an opponent from within the Tri-Cities, Coloma. These two schools have both built a tradition of excellence on the boys’ soccer side, and now look to build that same success on the girls’ side, as well.

In the match played on Wednesday, Apr. 10, Coloma got the better of Hartford, winning by a 2-nil score. The match was scoreless at halftime, before the Lady Comets picked up two goals in the final forty minutes to seal the deal and earn the victory. For the Lady Indians on the stat sheet, Abigail Lopez took a team-high three shots, and Mary Pultz kept her team in the game in goal, making eight saves.

Through three matches, Hartford sits at 1-2 on the season, and still has yet to play in any conference matches.

On Monday, Apr. 15, they will have traveled to South Haven to take on the Lady Rams, before hosting the Comstock Colts on Thursday, Apr. 18, at the home pitch.

Hartford track teams host annual Freshmen/ Sophomore Invitational

The Hartford Indian Track teams may have had one meet cancelled last week, but it saved the best for last. This past Saturday, Apr. 13, Hartford put on the 2019 version of the Hartford Freshmen/ Sophomore Invitational. This track meet, which has been held for the better part of four decades, gives underclassmen a chance to participate against peers in their own grade levels and earn some medals and ribbons along the way. This year’s event would be no different.

On the boy’s side, Hartford had only three participants competing in the meet. Despite that, all three athletes gave it their all and should be very proud on how well they competed against some of the area’s best.

On the girls’ side, Hartford placed 3rd in a field of 12 teams, scoring 69 total points. Standout performances included 1st place finishes by Khashya McCoy in the 300 meter hurdles, Nautica Covington in the shot put and the 3200 meter relay, which featured the team of Gillian Kuehnle, Jasmin Janicki, Jamie Smith and Marissa Solis.

The 400 meter relay team of Solis, Paris Rondo, Kuehnle and McCoy took home second place honors, and McCoy also took second place in the 100 meter hurdles. Third place finishes included Emma Weber in the discus and the 1600 meter relay, which featured the team of Kuehnle, Janicki, Smith and Solis.

The Hartford Athletic Department would like to send out a gigantic thank-you to all of the volunteers who came out on a Saturday to make this event so successful. Also, a thank-you goes out to the coaches, athletes and spectators who made this event memorable once again this year.

After hosting an event featuring just ninth and tenth graders, the full Hartford Indian track teams will return to action. Wednesday, Apr. 17, is the final home meet on the calendar, as Southwest 10 Conference counterparts Marcellus and Mendon made the trek to Hartford on “Senior Night” for a triangular meet. The track teams will finish the week on Friday, Apr. 19, when they make an appearance at the Watervliet Relays. Check back next week to see how the teams ran!

And, as always, Go Indians!

Press Box Player of the Week

By Dave Vollrath

Adiel Granados a senior at Coloma High School is this week’s TCR Press Box Player of the Week. Adiel is a four year letter winner in both track and cross country for the Comets. He is a standout runner and one of the top performers on the Coloma track squad. Adiel runs the middle distances and excels at the 800 and 1600 meter events. He has helped lead the Comet boys to a 4-0 record in this early track season, and has posted some outstanding times. He also was a first team all SAC conference selection on the cross country team last fall.

Adiel is the son of Adiel Granados and Isadora Hernandez. Adiel also is a standout in the classroom as he is in the top ten in the senior class, and a member of the National Honor Society. He also enjoys photography and works on the high school year book. Adiel is the recipient of the HAIL scholarship, from the University of Michigan, which will give him four years of free tuition and fees worth over $60,000.

Congratulations Adiel and best of luck, and always Go Blue!

Watervliet Press Box by John Oliphant

Panther softball team at 4-5

The Lady Panthers softball team had a back-and-forth week, winning three games and losing four to close with a 4-5 record. On the season, senior leadoff hitter Sabrina Klimkiewicz leads the offense, batting .538 with 15 hits, seven walks, and five RBI. Sabrina Klimkiewicz is batting .394 with 14 hits and six RBI, and junior Alex Worley is batting .355 with 11 hits and five RBI.

The Panthers played at Hartford on April 10 and split the double header, winning game one 15-10. The top of the second inning was the big one, as they scored seven runs. Celina had five singles and scored three runs. Sabrina had three hits with two singles, a double, and four RBI.

FIFTH INNING STRETCH… Wa-tervliet varsity softball second base-man Brittney Porphir successfully stretches for the ball in the bottom of the fifth inning in the Panthers’ first of two games on April 10 against Hartford. The squads split the doub-leheader; Watervliet won game one 15-10, while the Indians took game two 11-3. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Catcher Natalie Knight played solid behind the plate and also in front of it while collecting a triple, single, and three RBI. Alex Worley had three singles, two RBI, and scored two runs. Emalie Gitersonke hit two doubles. Serena Reyna had a double and a single; Brenna Langston, a hit and an RBI. Freshman Hannah Hart pitched all seven innings to pick up her second win of the season.

The Panthers lost the nightcap 11-3. Celina had an inside-the-fence home run, Sabrina had two singles, and Worley chipped in a single and two RBI.

The Panthers opened up conference play on April 12 by beating Martin 14-8. Celina took her first win of the season in the circle, with eight strikeouts over seven innings. Gitersonke had two hits, a double and single plus four RBI. Celina also had a pair of doubles and three RBI. Alex Worley and Brenna Langston each had one hit and one RBI.

In the second game the Panthers fell behind 8-4 after three innings, and a late rally wasn’t enough as they lost to the Clippers 9-8. Celina’s hot bat continued with a pair of singles, and Sabrina also had two singles and an RBI. Hannah Hart hit a double, and Addison Riley had a single and three RBI. Maddie Wilkinson had a double and two RBI. Alex Worley chipped in one hit.

On Saturday April 13 they played in the Dowagiac Chieftain Invitational Tournament. The girls lost to a tough Paw Paw team 6-0 in game one, being held to just three hits by Hanna Mellinger who recorded 10 strikeouts. Hannah Hart had a pair of hits and Emalie Gitersonke had one hit.

In game two the Panthers faced the Bridgman Bees. They played their best defense of the season, but gave up two runs in the sixth inning to lose 2-1. Hannah Hart pitched well in the loss, with two strikeouts and no earned runs. She also had two singles to lead the offense. Celina, Sabrina, and Gitersonke each had singles.

In the final game of the day the Panthers beat the host Chieftains 8-5 on the strength of a five-run first inning. Hart pitched the first three innings, being relieved while ahead 5-2. Celina came in and pitched solid after a long day to earn the win.

Without a dominating strikeout pitcher, the Panthers rely on their strong defense. Natalie Knight continued her breakout season, catching 20 innings on the day and allowing just three stolen bases and no passed balls. Sabrina Klimkiewicz made a spectacular play in center field to save a couple of runs, and Sophie Warsko also had a good defensive game in left field.

On offense Maddie Wilkinson led with two hits and three RBI. Celina had a single and scored two runs; Sabrina had a single and double and also scored two runs. Alex Worley had two hits and one RBI. Knight and Serena Reyna each had one hit.

The Panthers are 4-5 overall and 1-1 in the SAC Lakeshore Division. Coach Tom Golden says freshman Hanna Hart has been the biggest surprise so far, going 2-2 in the pitcher’s circle with 28 innings pitched and 12 strikeouts.

Baseball team wins two, loses two

The Panther baseball team went 2-2 on the week, putting them at 3-2-1 on the season. Garrett Matthews has been lights-out so far, collecting 22 strikeouts in eight innings with a 0.00 ERA on his way to a 2-0 record. Their bats haven’t come alive yet, but the pitching and defense have both been good. Eric Kehrer leads the offense with a .333 average and Andrew Chisek is at .250. Dylan Lawson leads with five RBI.

The Panthers hosted Martin for a pair of games on April 12. In game one the Panthers won 15-0 as every Clipper went down on strikes as they tried to figure out Matthews on the mound. Matthews’ box score was perfect with 12 batters and 12 strikeouts. Top hitters for the Panthers were Andrew Chisek with two singles, and one hit each from Matthews, Tommy Swanson, Kehrer and Nick Polaskey.

In game two freshman Andrew Chisek earned his first varsity win as the Panthers swept the Clippers 8-1. Chisek went five innings while striking out 10, and Tommy Swanson got the final three outs. Nick Polaskey had a double and Jordyn Angelo had a single for the only Panther hits.

On Saturday, April 13 the Panthers played a pair of games in a tournament at Bethel College. In game one, Panthers faced a big and tough Class A Mishawaka squad. Cole Pline started on the mound and gave up one run in three innings of work. The score was 1-0 until the fifth inning when Mishawaka scored five, then added four more in the sixth. Pline, Jordyn Angelo, Nick Polaskey and Eric Kehrer all pitched for the Panthers. Andrew Chisek and Eric Kehrer each had one hit.

In game two the Panthers battled back and forth with Brandywine, eventually falling 15-13. Tommy Swanson, Evan Hutchins, Dylan Tucker and Cole Pline combined on the mound for the Panthers. On offense Matthews had a double, Swanson, Polaskey, Kehrer, Angelo, and Pline each had singles.

UP AND OVER… Watervliet fresh-man Alex Warren goes up and over the hurdles in the second heat Satur-day during competition at Hartford. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Panther Soccer beats Cassopolis, loses at Bridgman

The Panther girls’ soccer team traveled to Cassopolis Ross Beatty High School on April 10. The Panthers scored four goals in the first half, and led 4-0 at halftime. Coach Dave Armstrong said they lost their focus at the beginning of the second half as they gave up three goals in five minutes. With the added pressure, they scored the last two goals of the game to win 6-3.

Victoria Smith scored four goals and added an assist. Tony Isbrecht and Elena Alvarado each scored one goal. Emma Kraklau and Isbrecht each had an assist. Coach Armstrong said Smith and Emma Armstrong are great field leaders and get the ball where it needs to be to score. Susanna Van Lente, Trinity Crain and Aria Richards each played their best game of the year on defense. Alex Hays played well at goalkeeper, giving up one goal on eight shots.

The Panthers played at Bridgman on April 13, losing 5-1. The first half was played even, with a 1-1 score at the break. Victoria Smith scored the Panther goal on a corner kick. In the second half the Bees scored four goals early and held the Panthers scoreless for the rest of the game. Alyssa Lange, Trinity Crain and Susanna Van Lente were the top players.

The team is at 2-2 heading into conference play this week. On Monday they were scheduled to host Constantine, and travel to Hackett on Wednesday.

Coloma Press Box By Dave Vollrath

Coloma Baseball falls to the Bucks

The Coloma Comet baseball team lost at Buchanan recently by a score of 16-6 in a tale of two games. The Comets were cruising in this game as they led by a 6-1 score heading into the home half of the fifth inning.

According to Coach V, Comet hurler Nick Eastman was in control for three and one third innings, having given up just one run on six hits, before being taken off the hill so he could be eligible, due to pitch count, to pitch in conference play later in the week. The bullpen however, struggled mightily, and mixed in too many walks with too many hits to give up 15 runs in the last couple of innings.

Leading the Comets at the plate was Ian Ishmael who had two hits and two RBI, as Nick Eastman, Ethan Price, Jake Ickes, and Isaiah Reinhardt each contributed one hit to the Coloma attack. Coloma also had eight walks and two hit batters, as they stayed busy on the bases.

RUNNING ON AIR… Coloma freshman Evelyn Morales tears down the track Saturday at Hartford during the 100 meter preliminaries. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

The second game versus the Bucks was suspended due to darkness after three and a half innings with Buchanan leading 1-0.

Comet Baseball sweeps Gobles to open conference play

Behind the strong right arm of Coloma’s standout pitcher Hunter Crist, the Comets begin the conference season 2-0 with a pair of wins at home against Gobles. Crist pitched a shutout in the opener, a 10-0 five-inning affair. He struck out six and walked none, and gave up only four hits. Hunter also picked up a save in the second game, pitching the final three innings and giving up no runs and no hits, as the Comets picked up a 6-3 victory.

Nick Eastman was the starting pitcher in the second game. He came out after four innings, having given up three runs on only five hits, and got the win.

THE PLAY AT HOME… Coloma catcher Sam Stewart tosses the ball to pitcher Megan Koenigshof as a Gobles runner slides safely into home during the second inning of game two against Gobles. The Lady Comets rallied and swept the two-game home stand. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

In the first game the Comets had 10 hits. Ethan Price had two hits including a triple, Ian Ishmael had two hits, and Hunter Crist also hammered out a triple. It was a balanced attack as five different Comets knocked in two runs apiece.

In the second game the Comets hitting attack was led by two hits apiece from Nick Eastman, Hunter Crist, and Dylan Nelson, as Nelson and Ian Ishmael each knocked in two runs.

Coloma splits pair at Bridgman

The Comets boys split a pair of games at Bridgman, losing a heartbreaking first game to the host Bees by a 2-1 score, before coming back strong with a huge 17-2 mauling of Comstock.

Behind the pitching of Ethan Price in the first game, the Comets led 1-0 going to the bottom of the seventh but he and Jake Ickes who came in, in relief, couldn’t stop the Bees from scoring the two runs needed to win the game. Coloma had only one hit but had eight walks and left 10 men on base in the tough loss.

The second game was a 4-inning game, with Comstock issuing 19 free passes to Coloma as Ethan Vandermolen was giving up only two runs on two hits.

Coloma Baseball has lost three of their five games this year in the opponents’ final at bat.

Coloma Comet Softball gets off to strong start

The Comet softball squad jumped out to a 2-0 start as they took both ends of a doubleheader at Buchanan in their first games of the season. Behind the shutout pitching of junior Megan Koenigshof, Coloma won the first game 1-0 as she struck out eight and gave up only four hits. She also had the game winning RBI in the seventh inning and had two hits. Gracie Whitaker added a double for the Comets.

The second game saw a little more offensive output from both teams as Coloma had to hold on for a 10-6 win. Koenigshof pitched the first five innings of this game and Coloma was leading 9-0 before she was replaced on the mound. Her replacements gave up six runs in the last two innings before the Comets were able to put the Bucks away.

Koenigshof finished a great day at the plate going 6-8, with three RBI and scoring three runs. Hannah Mathis added three singles, Megan Neubecker, Sam Stewart, and Kelsey Ellis each had two singles and Mia Cole chipped in with a double.

Comets win home opening doubleheader in conference vs. Gobles

The Coloma girls started conference play with a pair of easy 10-run short games against Gobles by scores of 15-0 and 15-5. Megan Koenigshof picked up the victory on the mound in both games for Coloma.

In the first game, top hitters were Hannah Mathis, Megan Neubecker, Sam Stewart, and Mia Cole. Game two tops at the plate were Koenigshof with two singles, Mathis and Neubecker with two singles, a double and three RBI. Also, Stewart, Cole, Kelsey Ellis, and Taryn Blazier each had a big day at the plate.

SAFE SLIDE… Coloma junior Isaiah Reinhardt slides safely into third base during the bottom of the third inning of play against Gobles Thursday evening. Coloma swept both games, 10-0 and 6-3, against the visiting Tigers. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

At the Portage Central tournament this past weekend, the Coloma girls won one and lost two. They lost to Gull Lake 4-0, and to Schoolcraft 14-4, and beat Vicksburg in a close one, 4-3.

In the win over Vicksburg, Megan Koenigshof was the winning pitcher. She was able to work out of trouble, giving up nine hits and two runs in the sixth and one run in the seventh to hang on for a one run win. Top hitters for Coloma were Koenigshof with a pair of singles. Hannah Mathis also had two hits, as Sam Stewart added a single and a double. Coloma girls are now 5-2 on the season.

Coloma girls’ soccer team stays zero scored on and unbeaten

The Coloma girls’ soccer team is off to a 6-0 start to the season, following a pair of wins this past weekend at Cassopolis. The Comets defeated Cass by a score of 8-0 and then squeaked by Dowagiac by a lone goal, 1-0.

Coloma in six games has not yet given up a goal on the strength of some all around great defensive play and Emma Watson, in goal making, sure nothing gets by her.

Scoring goals against Cassopolis were Cali Grenon netting two, and Grace Gagliardo, Mackenzie Ecker, Hannah Guntz, Samantha Trousdale, Emma Vandermolen, and Abby Vandermolen each scoring one goal.

Last week the Comets also beat Hartford by a score of 2-0, as Emma Vandermolen scored both of the Comet goals. Cali Grenon had an assist, and Emma Watson stopped the only shot the Indians put on goal.