By Staff
After winning two Michigan sanctioned girls' class B 12-and-under softball titles, Coach Dennis Ignowski told his Niles-Brandywine Girls' Softball All-Star team, Intensity, that they had exceeded his expectations and to relax and have fun the rest of the season.
Intensity responded by winning consecutive tournaments at Niles, Granger and Kalamazoo over the last three weekends, reeling off a 15-0 record in the process. The Intensity team is comprised exclusively of girls age 12-and-under who participate in the Niles-Brandywine Girls Softball Association.
Intensity started by winning its own tournament, defeating St. Anthony's Academy of South Bend, Ind. in the championship game 8-3. Jenna Ignowski and Demi Schrader led the way with three hits each. Intensity also defeated the Elkhart Stars, The Niles All-Stars and the Revolution.
Next the team traveled to Granger to participate in the Harris Heat Invitational. In a key match up, the team was trailing the Fort Wayne Thunder until Maggie Ernsberger hit a two run home run in the sixth-inning to tie the contest. Holly Lucas scored the winning run in the last frame after hitting a single, stealing second base and scoring on a Thunder error.
Right fielder Patty Anton sparked the defense by throwing out a Thunder runner at first base after an apparent base hit with the based loaded to secure the win. Intensity went on to defeat the South Bend Sparks by the score of 10-3 in the championship game, paced by Delaina Schroeder's four hits and Jenna Ignowski's homer.
Intensity then traveled to Kalamazoo last weekend to complete its three-tourney sweep. The team trailed the Williamston Hornets 1-0 after five innings, but Intensity erupted to score eight runs in the final two innings on ten hits to claim the victory in a key match up. The team also defeated the Kalamazoo Blue Klash and Harris Gold teams.
Intensity went on to defeat the Harris Red Heat in the final game by the 11-1. Anna Callahan paced the offense with two hits and five RBI's while Ignowski homered. Anton led the defense once again by throwing out two Harris batters at first base from right field.
During the tourney run, Intensity's leading hitters were Jenna Ignowski with a batting average of .586 and five home runs and Maggie Ernsberger at .553 and three home runs. Other leading hitters were Delaina Schroeder at .477, Holly Lucas at .448, Demi Schrader at .447 and Patty Anton at .429. Alexis Lennox, Taylor Watson and Nicole Newman each hit .400. The team was provided with effective pitching with Lenox, Schrader and Ignowski all getting victories on the mound.
Coach Chris Schrader told the girls they had really become a true team with all the girls up and down the line up contributing key hits. He noted that the team was now making plays that they were not making earlier in the year.
Head Coach Dennis Ignowski told his team that they had taken their performance to a higher level over the course of the season by learning to accept constructive criticism by the coaching staff. He told his team he was sorry the season was ending since they were really peaking now. He told the girls that all their hard work and commitment had certainly paid off and encouraged them to continue pursuing the sport.
Intensity has now won six tourneys this summer and finished second in another and has an overall travel team record of 40-3.