From: Jeff Febus (jfebus@calvin.edu)
Date: Mon Apr 28 2003 - 23:48:59 EDT
CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR MONDAY, APRIL 28
SOFTBALL
KALAMAZOO -- A dramatic seventh-inning rally allowed Calvin to gain a
doubleheader sweep over Kalamazoo Monday afternoon and sole possession of
second place in the final MIAA regular season standings.
Trailing 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh, Calvin (22-12 overall,
10-4 MIAA) rallied for three runs to claim a 4-3 win. Calvin had opened the
afternoon with a 5-0 shutout over the Hornets (6-24 overall, 1-13 MIAA).
Calvin has now reached the 20-win plateau for the second straight year. The
Knights also claim the second seed for the four-team, double-elimination MIAA
Tournament, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Alma College. Regular season
champion Alma in the top seed while Albion is the third seed. Either Hope or
Olivet will fill out the fourth seed, dependent upon the results of Olivet's
games with Adrian and St. Mary's over the next two days. As the second seed,
Calvin is slated to face third seeded Albion in a first round MIAA Tournament
game Friday.
In Monday's opening game with Kalamazoo, Calvin cruised to the win behind a
four-hit shutout performance from sophomore righthander Rachelle Heyboer
(Fremont HS). The shutout was the fourth of the year for Heyboer (11-3) who
struck out seven and did not walk a batter.
Calvin grabbed an early lead with a run in the first and added three more in
the second. Junior Trisha Balkema (Highland, IN) drove in Calvin's run in the
first with an RBI single while freshman Jeanne Cole (Mason County Eastern HS)
and senior Becky Austen (Pembroke, ON) delivered RBI singles in the second.
Calvin added an insurance run in the seventh on an RBI single by junior Keri
Cole (Mason County Eastern HS). Calvin outhit Kalamazoo 9-4 with Jeanne Cole
and Balkema collecting two hits apiece.
In game two, Kalamazoo jumped out to an early lead behind a one-out solo
homerun by senior Elli Toskey in the top of the first. Calvin came back to tie
the game in the third on a clutch two-out RBI single by Balkema that scored
sophomore Angie Sietsema (Grandville HS).
Kalamazoo erupted for two runs in the top of the sixth to chase Calvin starter
Kara VanKooten (Anchorage, AK).
Calvin was unable to score in the bottom half of the sixth and had its leadoff
batter in the seventh fly out to right field. Sophomore Lea Bareman (Unity
Christian HS) then ignited a rally with pinch-hit single up the middle and
moved to third base moments later as senior Emily Mejeur (Kalamazoo Christian
HS) reached base on an infield single and moved to second on a Kalamazoo error.
With two runners in scoring position, Jeanne Cole ripped a single into
centerfield that scored Bareman from third. Mejeur was held at third base but
the throw in from the outfield was wild, allowing Mejeur to score the tying run
and Cole to move all the way to third base.
Austen then stepped to the plate and on a 3-2 count, sent a sharp ground ball
to second base. Moving on the crack of the bat, Cole raced home and slid
safely underneath the throw home for the game-winning run.
Cole not only scored the game-winning run, but also picked up the pitching
victory in relief to up her record to 4-5 on the year. Cole picked up two of
Calvin's nine hits in the comeback win while Mejeur also had two hits in her
return to her hometown.
Calvin is scheduled to return to action tomorrow when it travels to Rochester
College for a non-conference doubleheader slated to start at 4:30 p.m.
MIAA SOFTBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 4-28 GAMES
Alma 12-2
Calvin 10-4
Albion 9-5
Olivet 6-5
Hope 7-7
St. Mary's 4-8
Adrian 4-9
Kalamazoo 1-13
HEYBOER NAMED MIAA PITCHER OF THE WEEK
For the second time in her career, Calvin sophomore pitcher Rachelle Heyboer
has been named MIAA Pitcher of the Week. A native of Fremont and a graduate of
Fremont High School, Heyboer tossed a pair of complete-game conference
victories last week while also picking up one save. Heyboer picked up her
first conference win in an 11-2 triumph at St. Mary's. She then picked up the
save in Calvin's 5-3 game two win.
This past Saturday, Heyboer tossed a 4-0 shutout victory over Adrian -- her
third of the season. With Monday's 5-0 shutout performance over Kalamazoo,
Heyboer lowered her MIAA ERA to a league-leading 0.71 mark. Heyboer is
currently 11-3 overall on the season with two saves and a 1.99 ERA.
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