CSR (Softball Splits with Hope/Clinches Berth in MIAA Tournament)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2004

SOFTBALL

A doubleheader split with Hope allowed Calvin to clinch a spot in the upcoming
MIAA Tournament but also left the Knights trailing Alma for the top seed.

Now 9-3 in the MIAA regular season standings, Calvin trails league-leading
Alma (9-2) which has a suspended game to complete with Adrian on Friday and a
doubleheader to host against Olivet Saturday. Calvin will travel to Adrian on
Saturday for its final league twinbill of the year. Calvin and Alma have both
clinched two of the four spots for next week's MIAA Tournament with St.
Mary's (9-5) claiming another spot today with a doubleheader sweep over
Kalamazoo today. Hope (7-5) and Albion (7-5) are battling for the fourth and
final spot in the league tournament and will meet in a doubleheader Saturday at
Hope.

In Thursday's opener with Calvin (17-13 overall), Hope (18-14 overall)
rallied for 3-1 come-from-behind victory in eight innings. Calvin then came
back to win game two by a 5-1 score.

In the opener, Calvin took a 1-0 lead into the seventh inning on an RBI single
by junior Angie Sietsema (Grandville HS) in the bottom of the fifth. Calvin
had runners in scoring position in the third and sixth innings but failed to
score in either frame. Hope then rallied for the tying run in the top of the
seventh as Candance Graham ripped a one-double into the right-centerfield gap
to score pinch runner Justine Campos from first base. Graham was then thrown
out at third attempting to stretch the double into a triple. Lauren Vande
Kopple followed with a two-out single but Calvin starter Rachelle Heyboer
(Fremont HS) was able to escape further damage with an inning-ending groundout.
 

Calvin failed to score in the bottom of the seventh and in the top of the
eighth, Hope senior Kelly Kraft delivered a two-out, two-run RBI triple to
centerfield. Calvin's outfield was in shallow position on the deep high
drive by Kraft and was unable to catch the blast that landed on the warning
track. In the bottom of the eighth, Hope freshman Lindsay Brown (5-7) retired
the Calvin side in order to allow the Flying Dutch to gain the win.

Hope collected eight hits to Calvin's six in the victory with Sietsema
picking up two for the Knights and Kraft and Graham two apiece for the Flying
Dutch.

In game two, Calvin broke a 1-1 deadlock with a run in the fifth and three in
the sixth. Senior Rachel Dyksterhouse (Kalamazoo Christian HS) delivered the
go-ahead run with a clutch two-out RBI single up the middle in the fifth to
plate sophomore Jeanne Cole (Mason County Eastern HS) who had reached base on a
one-out single.

In the sixth, freshman Kristen Kalb (Stow, OH) delivered a clutch hit of her
own, roping a line shot down the left-field line to score sophomores Jill
Scholten (Holland Christian HS) and Laurel Sands (Rockford HS). Moments
later, Kalb scored on a wild pitch to give the Knights a four-run cushion.

Freshman Ruth Anna Spooner (Twin Falls, ID) came on in relief for the Knights
in the bottom of the sixth and proceeded to hurl two shutout innings of relief
including a seventh inning frame where she struck out the side. Junior Kara
VanKooten (Anchorage, AK) went the first five innings for the Knights to pick
up her seventh victory of the year against three defeats. Calvin collected
eighth hits to the seven of Hope in the win. Dyksterhouse, Jeane Cole and
Sands collected two hits apiece for the Knights. Megan Sheehan had two of
Hope's seven hits.

Saturday's doubleheader at Adrian is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.. Both
games will be broadcast (RealAudio) on the Calvin web site with Ross Weener
calling all of the action.

MIAA SOFTBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 4-22-04 GAMES

Alma 9-2
Calvin 9-3
St. Mary's 9-5
Albion 7-5
Hope 7-5
Olivet 6-6
Adrian 2-9
Kalamazoo 0-14

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Thu Apr 22 21:11:33 2004