Two-run first inning propels Cherokee in softball

The battle for softball supremacy in the Olympic Conference American heated up Friday when the two teams that shared the division championship last year clashed.

Cherokee maintained its undefeated status in the division with solid pitching and timely hitting to nip visiting Eastern, 2-1.

The victory improved the Chiefs to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the division. Eastern slipped to 3-2, 1-2.

Had the Vikings won, there would have been a three-way tie with Washington Township (5-3, 2-1) at the top. However, a failure to string hits together cost Eastern the game.

Carolyn Griffin emerged the hero for the Chiefs. The senior hurler not only threw a three-hitter but also stroked what turned out to be the winning hit in the first inning.

Junior third baseman Gina Gryniuk slammed a double to left field and raced to third on a passed ball. Senior first baseman Gina Carassi walked and stole second to set the table for Griffin, who smashed a two-run double off Eastern junior Steph Vuono for a 2-0 lead.

"I'm seeing the ball well; I waited back on it," Griffin said of the double. "But I needed the girls in front of me to get on, and that was just as important as my hit was.

"This was very important, first of all because it was a conference game. We were the only ones in the conference without a loss and we basically have targets on our backs and it's a little nerve-racking, but it's pretty exciting."

Griffin struck out seven and walked one, keeping Eastern's hitters off stride with a combination of screwballs, drops, and fastballs.

However, in the sixth inning, Eastern rallied to load the bases.

Griffin's second pitch to the next batter, junior leftfielder Steph Wolfrom, hit her. That forced home junior centerfielder Cherell Chambers to make the score 2-1 with two outs.

Junior Gen Gaynor then smacked an 0-2 pitch that fell into shallow right field, and it looked as though another run would score. However, junior rightfielder Jamie Nehila took the ball on the first hop and fired to first baseman Gina Carassi to beat Gaynor by a step, ending the inning.

Gaynor said she knew that the play at first would be close because the ball wasn't hit deep and she isn't that fast.

"I threw a drop [to Gaynor]," Griffin said. "I was concerned. Those bloopers are the ones that kill you sometimes, but Jamie came up big there. It was real close."

Vuono, new to the role of No. 1 pitcher, settled down after the first inning and pitched out of jams in the third and fifth.

"This is our second loss in the conference, so we have to pick it up and start winning more conference games," said Vuono, a good athlete. "But we still have a long season ahead of us."

Vuono praised Griffin as a good pitcher who got batters to swing at outside pitches and struck her out on inside pitches.

Eastern   0000010 - 131

Cherokee   200000x - 251

WP: Carolyn Griffin. LP: Steph Vuono. 2B: C-Gina Gryniuk, Griffin.