Brandon’s varsity softball team is off to an auspicious start in Flint Metro League action.
The host Blackhawks used a combination of a productive offensive and solid pitching to defeat Linden 11-1 and 10-0 in a May 1 doubleheader. Brandon is now 8-6 overall and 4-0 in the league.
Senior pitcher Jill Perry recently made her return to the team after missing three weeks due to injury, and Brandon coach Carl Gabrielson said she is starting to show the form Brandon fans and her teammates are accustomed to.
‘The first game of the season, she pulled a bicep muscle,? he said on May 2. ‘She came back last weekend in the (Greater Flint) tourney, and has pitched six games since she’s been back. Yesterday, it looked like she was throwing without caution.?
In addition, Gabrielson said junior Lauren Ross will see her first game action of the season at the Brandon Tournament, scheduled for Saturday, May 6. Gabrielson said Ross? return will give the Brandon lineup some additional offensive punch.
Brandon scored one run in the bottom of the first inning, then Linden came back to tie the game at one in the top of the fourth. The Blackhawks then lit up the scoreboard for five runs each in the fourth and fifth innings.
Perry and sophomores Jennie Sherman and Ashley Prescott each drove in two runs for the Blackhawks, while Perry picked up the win on the mound, allowing one run on five hits while striking out five.
The Brandon offense continued its torrid pace in the second game against the Eagles, as the Blackhawks scored four runs in the first inning and two each in the second and third innings to take command of the game.
Prescott and senior Annemarie Solley led the Brandon offense with three hits apiece, while senior Ashley Brady, Sherman and junior Chelsea Wengren added two hits apiece. Prescott, Solley and senior Jessica Liebner each scored two runs.
Perry was again the winning pitcher, striking out six.
Gabrielson said the work the Blackhawks have been putting in at the batting cage has started to pay off in game action.
‘We were striking out too much,? he said. ‘We’re actually now playing at the level we’re capable of.?
Brandon’s team statistics support Gabrielson’s statement, as the Blackhawks have a team batting average of .309. Three Brandon regulars ? Liebner (.452), Solley (.447) and Sherman (.444) ? are batting above .400 for the season.
Brandon took a break from league action to take part in the Greater Flint Tournament April 29.
The Blackhawks garnered a split in the day’s activities, losing to Fenton 5-2 before defeating Flint Powers 5-4. Against Fenton, the Blackhawks hurt their own cause with three errors, which led to two unearned runs.
The Blackhawks started out the Flint Metro season with a bang, defeating visiting Lapeer East 4-3 and 9-1 in an April 27 doubleheader.
In the first game, the Blackhawks came from behind, with freshman Kim Michal hitting a double to drive in Sherman and senior Brooke Schaefer in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving the Blackhawks the victory.
The second game was all Brandon, as the Blackhawks scored two runs in the bottom of the first and four more in the bottom of the second to take command of the game.
Sherman led the Blackhawks with three hits, while Prescott, Solley and Liebner notched two hits apiece.