Key NSL tap in Posen today

by Peter Jakey– Managing Editor

Gut-check time for the Viking softball (26-5) team is here. They need to win a pair of home games this afternoon against Atlanta to finish on top of the North Star League standings. The Vikes are 11-1 in the league. Head coach Glenn Budnick?s squad, which consists of a roster-laden with rookies and underclassmen, has held up fairly well under the pressure of playing some of the best softball programs in the area during the last week. The girls split in Rogers City last Thursday and then defeated last year?s district tournament winner, Onaway, in the finals of the Posen Invitational.

Those were pop-quizzes compared to the real tests at hand with today?s key conference doubleheader and then next Saturday?s tournament. The district draw took place this week and the Vikings will see Rogers City May 30 at noon. Posen eliminated Hillman last year before coming up short against Onaway in the finals. Speaking of Onaway, Posen was going to host Onaway in a doubleheader not on the original schedule, but it was cancelled because of the lousy weather.

THE VIKINGS took a five game winning streak into today?s doubleheader with Atlanta. They swept Joburg Monday, after winning their own tournament. In game one against Joburg, the girls turned a 0-0 game in the bottom of the fourth into a mercy-shortened game rather quickly, as the girls scored all 11 of their runs at one time. Sophomore Janice Ciarkowski took the Joburg pitcher deep twice. The first was a no-doubter to straight away center field. The second one was a screeching liner that kept going until it cleared the center field fence. Both homers came with a runner on. The winning pitcher was Leanne Buczkowski, who went four innings (3 H, 0 W, 3 K?s). She also went three-for-three at the plate. Leann Strzelecki finished off the Cardinals in the top of the fifth.

Christina Bednarski was two-for-three with a RBI. Cheryl Romel had a RBI double, while Elyse Perrault smacked a RBI triple. The next time the Vikings got to bat was in the bottom of the first inning of game two, and they picked right up where they left off, scoring six runs. They added three in the second, two in the third and single runs in the fourth and fifth. Lindsay Ponik got the win on the mound (4.3 IN, 1 H, 2 W, 4 K?s) and was three-for-three at the plate with three RBI. Julia Lewandowski pitched the final two-thirds of an inning. She gave up two hits, two walks and one earned run. Ashley Sobek, Strzelecki and Perra

ult all had two hits each. POSEN PULLED out a win against Inland Lakes Saturday behind a three hit pitching performance by Ciarkowski, who went all six innings. Bednarski was one-for-one with a sacrifice and two RBI. Lewandowski was one-for-one with a double. The Vikings pushed five across the dish in the third inning against Onaway after trailing 2-0, as the visitors committed three errors. Megan Haske and Ponik both knocked in a run each. Ponik was the winning pitcher. Her pitching line follows: 8 H, 2 ER, 6 W, 4 K?s. Bednarski was two-for-three. Weather affected both teams as the winds caused blowing sand.

Last Thursday, in the first meeting between the Hurons and Vikings, the home squad rallied late to pull out a 4-2 victory. Huron starter struck out six to get the win. In the nightcap, the Vikes got the offense going. Sobek led the way with three hits in the 11-7 win. Buczkowski picked up the win in the second game.

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