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Saints sweep Storm, Anderson pitches no-hitter
The Advocate
Heels dug into the dirt. Eyes looking straightforward to home plate. Composed and focused, Kayla Anderson's expression never changed.
MHCC's sophomore ace pitched a nine-strikeout no-hitter Tuesday afternoon in the second game of a doubleheader against the Chemeketa Storm.
Anderson, who didn't realize she pitched a no-hitter until receiving a call from head coach Meadow McWhorter late Tuesday night, didn't want to jinx herself. "I thought that something was happening, but I didn't want to say it," said a modest Anderson. "I just took it one pitch at a time."
One pitch at a time, Anderson, who has one no-hitter under her belt while at Barlow High School, set down the Storm hitters one-by-one, walking only one player and allowing two on base.
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With one out in the top of the seventh inning, a Storm player hit a slow chopper past Anderson that freshman shortstop MacKenzie Samuelson saved in the nick of time to make the second out of the inning and keep the no-hitter alive. "Behind every no-hitter there is excellent defense," McWhorter said Tuesday night. "You're not going to strikeout everyone."
The next play and final out resulted in a routine infield fly. "I'm super proud that our defense stepped up. It shows how hard we work," said Anderson, "We need every person to play the game. I didn't do that by myself."
The 4-0 home victory followed a game one 7-0 victory by the Lady Saints behind the fierce pitching of sophomore Chelsea Schriber who went the distance, striking out 11 players and scattering four base hits.
Anderson who shares a friendly rivalry with fellow pitcher Schriber, knew she had to bring her A-game on the mound. "We're really competitive with each other. When she succeeds, it pushes me to succeed; if she puts in extra pitches, I put in extra pitches," said Anderson, "If there's anyone that pushes me, it's Chelsea."
The Saints softball team, after four straight rainouts, is making up for lost time, sweeping their last four games in Southern Region play and now sharing a three-way tie for first place.
The Saints, who also have been plagued by injuries, seemed unaffected Tuesday by their slow season start.
"Through the adversity, we learned a lot of lessons and applied them," head coach Meadow McWhorter said Tuesday night, She said that in preseason play, "We were committing four or five errors a game. Now, we've been errorless. We're putting the pieces of the puzzle together."
Tuesday's double-header sweep over Chemeketa (1-12, 0-4), showed proof of a team beginning to hit its stride, highlighted by the dominant performance by Anderson in game two.
"I'm always really nervous," the sophomore said after the game. "I think all athletes get those nerves until you get going." Going is exactly what Anderson was, as the Storm batters were swinging relentlessly and in vain.
The team wasn't taking anything for granted. "There was momentum coming off the first game, but we always talk about how important the second game is," said McWhorter, praising the standout pitching performances of Schriber and Anderson, "Both girls did a great job getting ahead in the count, working off-speed pitches, and keeping the ball in the core."
The Saints, tied for first in the Southern Region with a 4-0 record (6-4 overall), still have many games to play, including a series with the rival Clackamas Cougars (4-0, 8-1). Still, the Saints are confident in their ability to turn it on and get it done. "This team is awesome," said Anderson. "Seeing how good the girls play, and knowing we're solid in each position, it definitely makes pitching easier."
In first game, the top of the lineup struggled, but the bottom of the lineup picked up the slack and sophomore pitcher Chelsea Schriber racked up 11 strikeouts. On offense, Guy had a single and a double and freshmen Samuelson and Alexis Cline helped push the Saints to the 7-0 victory.
Anderson said, "Our defense was awesome. We are definitely small but mighty."
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