BLOOMINGTON – Although the Pekin Lettes played with just nine players, they did give it their all in both of the five-inning games they played against the Bloomington Hearts at the Illinois Wesleyan Softball Complex Wednesday night.

But Bloomington eased past the Lettes in game one, 3-0, but Pekin showed some fight in game two, only to lose in the last inning, 3-2.

Hearts pitcher for game one, Kate Newman, struck out three and held Pekin (17-13) to three hits while the host offense scored all three of their runs in the third inning.

A single by Hearts left fielder Molly Coers helped catcher Shane Wesley to score Bloomington’s first run of the first game, 1-0. That was followed by a sacrifice fly by Hearts right fielder Brie Ford allowing Coers to score, increasing the Hearts’ lead, 2-0.

A double by Bloomington’s Allison Ward scored second baseman Lindsay Longfellow from first capping the first game’s scoring.

In game two, the third inning proved pivotal again for Pekin, and started to look positive as Lettes center fielder Stephanie Ramsey singled with two on base, scoring second baseman Lauren Snopek from third, giving Pekin a 1-0 edge.

Lettes left fielder Rachel Sinks also advanced home from second on a single by first baseman Sarah Loede. A wild pitch by Hearts pitcher Kalli Walzack pushed Ramsey and Sinks closer to home prior to Loede’s hit.

A single in the bottom of the third inning by second baseman Colleen McLaughlin helped Bloomington (15-8) cut Pekin’s lead to 2-1.

Pekin pitching helped load the bases for Bloomington, as center fielder Kate Thoennes and catcher Shane Wesley scored the tying and winning runs, respectfully, in the last half of the fifth inning. A wild pitch and an error advanced the runners to second and third before a walk to Coers, and singles by McLaughlin and Longfellow helped bring across the winning runs.

Lettes coach Chuck Harris said his team’s allowing “too many walks” gave Bloomington the opportunity to snatch game two away from Pekin.

“Walking the leadoff hitter means you have to have better pitches,” Harris said, explaining the beginning of the defeat process in the second game.

Newman got the win for the Hearts in the first contest, while T. J. Matheny was the losing pitcher for the Lettes. In game two, Hearts pitcher Rachel Smith got the win with a strong four-inning performance and assist from closer Kalli Walzack in game one. Laurie Pankratz was the losing pitcher for the Lettes.

Pekin played with just nine players all evening, but Harris is hoping his team will be at full strength when they return to Pekin to host the ASA Pekin Tournament at the Dragon’s Dome beginning on Friday. The Lettes open the tourney with a 7p.m. game against the Decatur Misfits.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 19th, 2007 at 12:48 pm and is filed under Pekin Daily Times, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.