The Saline Hornets and Dexter Dreadnaughts split a double header in softball Monday night. The Hornets took game one 1-0 behind a Herculean effort by Kristina Zalewski, while Dexter won the night cap 1-0 behind Karley Crawford’s gem.
Game one was a showcase to what Zalewski can be. She struck out eight of the first nine batters she faced (Dexter’s Taylor Garcia drew a two out walk in the second). Then, with two out in the third inning, Taylor Aeschliman ripped a line drive right back up the middle, hitting Zalewski in the face. Laura Vaccaro came in and finished the inning.
“It scares you [when a player gets hit in the head], your heart drops. [Zalewski] didn’t want to come out. She was ready to go back in when it happened. She’s really getting into her groove now, I think she’s got her confidence now,” said Hornets head coach Alicia Seegert.
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Vaccaro threw a scoreless fourth inning for Saline, but the fifth inning saw Zalewski back on the mound (now with protective headgear on). She proceeded to strike out the next seven batters she faced and finished the game giving up just the one hit while striking out 16 and walking three.
Aeschliman had a solid outing for Dexter as well. While not striking out as many as her counterpart, she induced a lot of soft fly balls and easy ground-outs. The lone run of the game came when Vaccaro ripped a triple to right field and scored when the throw got by Dexter’s third baseman. Aeschliman finished the day giving up one run, unearned, on six hits while striking out four and walking one.
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The nightcap was another pitching duel. Crawford pitched seven solid shutout innings for Dexter. She allowed just five hits scattered throughout the game while striking out five and walking no one. Crawford was also responsible for the lone run of the game, driving in Taylor Schilling in the bottom of the sixth.
“[Aeschliman and Crawford] had a goal all along now that they want to win districts. They have a very specific mentality when it comes to games. They’re not flashy, but they both have the attitude that they want to win. They push themselves to another level,” said Dreadnaught coach Kathy Day.
Vaccaro threw the entire second game for Saline. She allowed one run on four hits, striking out seven and walked none. She was also responsible for one of the five Hornet hits.
Saline hosts Lincoln on Thursday, May 12 while Dexter travels to Pioneer.