Sports

Softball: Eastern Tech Begins Postseason Push

Following last season's upset loss in the regional finals, the Mavericks seem ready to make a run at the program's first state title.

 

Alexis Peay recalls the emotions she and the rest of the softball team felt after last season.

The 5-1 defeat was the Mavericks first for the team and ended any chance of them winning the program's first state title.

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Peay, a senior outfielder, said that experience has motivated Eastern Tech (19-2) as it kicks off its postseason at 3:45 p.m. today when it hosts Aberdeen in the Class 3A North quarterfinals.

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Eastern Tech is the and received a first-round bye while Aberdeen advanced with a 21-1 victory last week in an opening round victory over .

"Those of us who were on the team last season understand what can happen in the playoffs," Peay said. "Last year, the way things ended had us frustrated, but our goal now is to keep each other up and stay motivated."

Eastern Tech enters the regional playoffs having won 13 straight, including 9-1 over Franklin in the last Thursday.

The Mavericks have dominated just about every one of their opponents this season, which includes six shutouts and 13 games halted early after leading by 10 runs or more.

But Mavericks coach Jack Meyers said that doesn't mean his team hasn't been tested.

Eastern Tech scheduled several non-conference games against some of the top IAAM programs, including Seton Keough and Archbishop Spalding, ranked second and 10th, respectively, in the latest Varsity Sports Network Top 20 poll.

The Mavericks, ranked third in the same poll, won at Seton Keough, 5-2, on April 14 and lost at Spalding, 4-3 on April 5. This success comes despite having five freshmen and a sophomore on their roster.

"We've had enough tough games this season for our younger players to know what to expect when we get into the postseason," Meyers said. "The seniors understand not to take any opponent for granted because all it takes is one hit or bad bounce to change the course of a game."

Eastern Tech senior catcher Ashley Sauerwein said last week's county championship game was a perfect example of that. Despite the lopsided final score against , the Mavericks had to fight for every run as the game was tied 1-1 before they exploded for eight runs between the fifth and sixth innings.

"This is a chance for redemption this year after the way last season ended," Sauerwein said. "Winning a state championship would mean everything to me since we've never won a state title here before. This team understands what it takes to accomplish that goal."


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