The Vikings take four-game winning streak to Arenac, begin toughest 10-day stretch of the season

Now the games get tough. Over the next 10 days the Posen softball team will likely play ninth-ranked Mackinaw City, Saturday at the Mackinaw City Tournament; Division III honorable mention Alcona, Tuesday; Rogers City May 13 on the road; and the Vikings will be back at home May 15 for the Posen softball tournament with Mackinaw City as one of the visiting schools. There also are a pair of games at Fairview Monday at 4 p.m. And that above list of teams doesn?t include two games against Arenac Eastern today. Of all the games over the next week, the two with Arenac mean the most at this point in the season.

?You can?t take anything for granted, they are a great softball team,? said head coach Glenn Budnick. A-E comes into the contest with an 8-0 North Star League record and is an honorable mention in the April 27 Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association Division IV polls. The Vikings are ranked fourth with an 11-1 overall record, 6-0 in the NSL.

THE VIKINGS are about as ready as they can be, tuning up for the key games with sweeps of Mio last Thursday at home, 8-3 and 15-0. The day before, the Vikes were rude visitors at St. Ignace, blasting the Saints in mercy-shortened games, 23-1 and 18-2. Since last Thursday, Posen has been idle, awaiting this competitive stretch of games. In looking at the matchup, both the Vikings and Arenac have three common opponents. Both swept Hillman, which is still hanging on to its honorable mention tag: Arenac by a combined scores of 16-0, while Posen outscored the Tigers, 11-2. While both schools swept Mio, the Eagles mercied them in both games. The Vikings mercied the T-Bolts once.

There was one difference with the third opponent. Posen swept Hale two weeks ago, but Arenac was defeated by Hale at the Atlanta softball tournament. What has this doubleheader meant to the PHS program the last two years? Two sweeps, two NSL titles. The focus for Budnick is winning game number one.

?I?m confident that the softball team will be ready and focused for both games down there,? he said. ?A sweep would be nice, but you can?t have a sweep unless you win game one, so we?re going after game one.? The first game at Arenac begins at 4 p.m.

THE VIKINGS benefited from 18 walks in the doubleheader against Mio. Michelle Bednarski started in game one and pitched one-hit ball through four innings. She allowed one walk and struck out six. Danielle Smolinski had a season-best four-for-four game. The first baseman ripped a double and knocked in four. Bednarski had a bases-clearing double and three RBI, while Courtney Romel added a hit and two RBI. Starter Shannon Ciarkowski kept game two close, taking a 5-3 lead into the fifth inning. Budnick then brought in freshman Jenny Ciarkowski with two runners on and set down the side. She pitched two innings of hitless relief, walking one and striking out two. Dorothy Romel was two-for-two with a double and two RBI, while Beth Julian (two RBI) and Amanda Pieczynski were two-for-three. Shannon got the start and the win in a 23-1, mercy-shortened game last Wednesday against St. Ignace.

CIARKOWSKI PITCHED the fir

st three innings, allowing one hit, one earned run, and one walk, while striking out four. Julian, in her pitching debut, tossed the final inning, walking one batter and striking out another. She also was perfect at the plate, going three-for-three, with three RBI and two doubles. Shannon Ciarkowski was three-for-four with three RBI and two doubles, while Courtney Romel added two hits. The second game ended after five innings with Posen on top by 16. Jenny Ciarkowski started her first varsity game and threw a three-hitter. She gave up no walks and struck out three. At the plate, Jenny had a bases-clearing double.

Shannon Ciarkowski was two-for-four with three RBI and was five-for-seven in the twin-bill. Bednarski and Mary Calhoun both had two hits and two RBI. Roxann Hincka also went two-for-three. After the pair with Arenac today, Posen travels to the Mackinaw City Tournament Saturday. The other two schools participating will be Harbor Springs and Vanderbilt.