Hartford Press Box
- Jerrod Birmele
- 29 minutes ago
- 8 min read
Hartford defeats Watervliet in first round girls soccer District action
Sometimes we wish the clock on the wall got stuck on three for days and days. Those song lyrics are a truthful sentiment when we reach the cusp of summer and the high school sports season fades into the sunset. Sadly, we are reaching that time, as the postseason has dawned.
Last week, on Thursday, May 21, the ladies soccer postseason got underway, and a first-round match at Hartford pitted two local area teams with their seasons on the line. In a Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 4 match, the Lady Huskies hosted rival Watervliet, with the two squads battling for a spot in this Tuesday’s semifinal against Kalamazoo Christian. When the horn sounded at the conclusion of eighty minutes of play, Hartford would win 3-nil.
Throughout the opening portion of the first half, it was a battle between the goal boxes, as neither team could sustain an offensive attack or create quality scoring chances. You could attribute that to
multiple factors: the lack of space and uncharacteristic errors in the open pitch by the Lady Huskies, along with strong play from the Lady Panthers, who controlled the tempo early and made it difficult for the home squad to play their style of match.
Despite a slight advantage in possession for Watervliet, a mistake in transition would grant Hartford an opportunity in the 27th minute, and the ladies in green and white took advantage, finding the back of the net on a shot by Linda Banda. The remainder of the first forty minutes was played competitively, but resulted in no additional tallies, sending the match into half with the Lady Huskies in front, 1-nil.
In the early portion of the second half, it resembled the first half in many ways, as both squads appeared to be digging in. The Lady Panthers continued to push and battle hard in all facets of the match, while Hartford continued their strong play on the defensive end while looking to add to their tenuous lead offensively. Whether you were a coach, player, or a fan sitting in the bleachers or on your lawn chairs, the tension was evident.
In the 63rd minute, the door slid wide open for the Lady Huskies, and in a matter of seconds, they had a three-goal lead. After a collision between the goalkeeper and an offensive player in the box, Hartford was granted a penalty kick, which Marily Delarosa converted to make it 2-nil. Moments later, a missed clearance on defense by Watervliet proved costly, as Viviana Banda booted the ball past the goalkeeper for the insurance goal, hence sealing the deal.
As we previously mentioned, with the victory, the Lady Huskies took their 12-5-1 record into this week’s district semifinal (and potential final) matchup, while the Lady Panthers bowed out with a 4-13-1 record, but based on their valiant effort in this match and the youth makeup of the squad, they will look to continue their growth and make noise next spring.
Hartford Baseball
The Hartford varsity baseball team traveled to Buchanan on Wednesday, May 20, for a non-conference doubleheader looking to start the final week of the regular season by spoiling ‘Senior Night’ for the Bucks, in the first of two scheduled road trips during the week.
In game one, it went the full intended distance, with the Husky bats and offense going quiet in a shutout loss, 2-0. Hartford’s offense managed to put four hits on the scoreboard in this contest, but when the men needed clutch at-bats with runners in scoring position, they came up empty. Meanwhile, Buchanan fared slightly better, with seven hits, while single runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings were enough to give them the edge when the final out was recorded.
In game two, it went the full five innings, with an offensive resurgence helping the Huskies earn the split with a win, 8-5. Hartford excelled in their first two at-bats, scoring three runs in the top of the first and second innings, before a two-run, top of the fourth inning would push the men in green and white ahead, 8-1. Those late runs would prove pivotal when the Bucks made a late push of their own, with four runs in the bottom of the fourth, but never got any closer than that.
Isaiah Lovell was the winning pitcher in game two. The Husky offense smashed 13 total hits, led by Jose Perales with four hits (all singles), while Jaylin Bachman provided three hits (all singles). Ryan Huminsky and Calvin Wimbley drove in a team-high two RBIs each.
The team traveled to Cassopolis on Friday, May 22, for a conference single game looking to finally finish a series against the Rangers, which they initially started with a 4-1 victory on April 13, but could never get the second game started.
In the night’s only game, it went five full innings with the mercy rule showing the Huskies strong play in a win, 11-1. The men in green and white plated three runs in their first at-bat before surrendering a run to Cassopolis in the bottom of the second inning. Hartford responded by scoring in three straight frames, including four runs in the top of the third inning, and two runs in the top of the fourth and fifth innings, while the defense played well behind the pitcher.
Isaiah Lovell (CG, 4 H, 5 K) was the winning pitcher. The Husky offense smashed nine hits led by Jaylin Bachman with three hits (two singles, double), while Ryan Huminsky (all singles) and Bryson Prillwitz (all singles) provided two hits each. Jose Perales drove in a team-high two RBI.
Hartford Softball
The Hartford varsity softball team hosted Centreville on Tuesday, May 19, for a conference doubleheader, attempting to close the home portion of the regular season schedule with a pair of victories over the Lady Bulldogs, who entered the night with a 17-5 record.
In game one, it went six full innings, with the mercy rule taking hold after a tough start to the day, resulting in a loss, 11-1. The Lady Huskies were stymied offensively, only managing a single run in the bottom of the second inning and finishing with just five hits. Meanwhile, Centreville scored three runs in the top of the first, second, and fourth innings, building their lead to 9-1, before two runs in the top of the sixth inning earned the ten-run mercy rule threshold.
In game two, it went into extra innings, with Hartford battling until the very end, but coming up short in nine innings, 13-11. Lead changes were the name of the game in the first four innings, as the team’s traded the lead four times, with the Lady Bulldogs scoring in the top of the third (two) and fourth (four) innings and the Lady Huskies in the bottom of the second (one) and third (three) innings, before a three-run bottom of the fifth by Hartford would tie the game, 7-7.
After the two teams traded single runs in their ends of the seventh inning, the game went into extra innings deadlocked, 8-8. In the ‘overtime’ session, the first additional inning couldn’t decide a winner, as both Centreville and the Lady Huskies traded a run in their half of the eighth inning. The damage was done in the top of the ninth inning, when the Lady Bulldogs plated four runs, which is difficult to overcome, even with a runner placed on second base in extras. Hartford had two on and no one out, but a pair of groundouts and a popout thwarted their rally.
The Lady Husky offense smashed 15 total hits, led by Aliyah Burrows (all singles) and Mackenzie Mireles (three singles, triple) with four hits each, while Morgan Birmele (two singles, triple) provided three hits. Mireles drove in a team-high four RBI.
The team traveled to Cassopolis on Friday, May 22, for a conference doubleheader, attempting to complete a series against the Lady Rangers that began on April 13 but has been delayed on multiple occasions by inclement weather.
In game one, it went the full seven innings, with the Lady Huskies surviving a month-long delay to grab the win, 5-2. When play was suspended, Hartford led 5-1, going into the bottom of the fifth inning, thanks to a run in the top of the first inning and four runs in the top of the fifth inning. Cassopolis had tied the game briefly, 1-1, after a run in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the big inning by the Lady Huskies put them in trouble, scoring only one run afterward.
In game two, it went the full seven innings, with the ladies starting slow but rebounding for a one-run win, 5-4. The Lady Rangers had four one-run innings (bottom of the first, third, fourth, and fifth), leading on three different occasions. But Hartford’s offensive attack pushed two runs across home plate in the top of the fourth inning, a run in the top of the fifth inning, and two runs in the top of the seventh inning (on a pair of singles, a steal, and an error), pulling off the sweep.
Kinsley Kronewetter was the winning pitcher in both games, tossing two complete games with 12 total strikeouts. The Lady Husky offense smashed 13 total hits, led by Mackenzie Mireles with four hits (all singles), while Morgan Birmele provided three hits (all singles). Birmele drove in a team-high three RBI.
Hartford Track and Field
The Hartford varsity track and field teams sent several athletes to Comstock on Tuesday, May 19, for the Southwest 10 Conference finals, bringing together all ten schools, as the tracksters battled to claim supremacy over their rivals across the league.
The Husky men finished as the conference runner-up, with 99 team points. Alex Diaz was an individual champion in the 400-meter dash, with a time of 52.79 seconds, while also being a member of the 3200-meter relay team, which also included Aiden Mcdonald, Robert Lenza, and Josias Robles, who won in a time of 8:38.31.
Podium finishers for the men also included a pair of runner-up performances from Jeff Littlefield in the discus and Robles in the 400-meter dash, as well as third-place efforts from Zavier Gutierrez in the long jump, Littlefield in the shot put, and Mason Mireles in the discus.
The Lady Huskies finished in a tie for fifth, with 48 team points. While they did not have any conference champions, they received podium finishes from Juliana Morseau in the 3200-meter run (runner-up) and the 1600-meter run (third place), while the 3200-meter relay team also finished third.
Hartford Girls Soccer
The Hartford varsity girls soccer squad traveled to Coloma on Monday, May 18, for a non-conference match, hoping to polish off the regular season with a road victory over the Lady Comets and clinch their 11th victory of the campaign.
The Lady Huskies may have dodged rain and thunderstorms earlier in the day, but the ladies brought the lightning in a win, 10-nil. The Hartford offense dominated control and time of possession in a match that lasted just a single half, seemingly scoring at will over the forty minutes of action (a rate of a goal every four minutes). While the opponent has struggled this season, you still need to take care of business, especially when you’re close to the postseason.
Linda Banda (3), Viviana Banda (3), Anahi Ugalde-Rivas (2), Taliyah Mendoza, and Ava Mireles were the goal scorers for the Lady Huskies.
For upcoming athletic schedules, go to https://www.hpsathletics.org and click on the ‘Calendar’ link.
As always, GO GREEN! GO WHITE!