Banes scores sweep of ‘A’ Div. championships

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Banes players and coaches celebrate after capturing both the Medina Women’s Softball League ‘A’ Division regular season and playoff championships today. In front is Sami Heschke. Kneeling are Sarah Surdel, Sue Seefeldt, Alisha Foss, Connie Heschke and Donna Bane. In the middle are Robin Blaun, Amy Allis, Patti Paige, Jessica Carpenter and Jamie Chatt. In back are Bruce Seefeldt, Jackie Davis and Kathy Allen. Missing from the photo is Jen Masse.

Scoring a sweep, Banes Machine Shop/Banes Plumbing scored key victories today to capture both the Medina Women’s Softball League ‘A’ Division regular season and playoff championships.

Banes opened the day by downing Orleans Vets 12-8 in a special tie breaker game for the regular season title after the two teams had finished the season deadlocked at 8-2.

Banes later capped off the day by scoring in 5 of 6 innings to nip Jr. Wilson 8-6 in the second and deciding title round game to capture the playoff championship.

Jr. Wilson had sent the playoffs to the limit by winning the first title contest 7-4 as Banes was blanked in 6 of the 7 innings.

Jessica Rosenbeck bangs out a hit for Jr. Wilson.

Banes used a 4 run first inning scoring burst and a 6 run fourth frame to key the tie breaker victory over Orleans Vets.

Kathy Allen had 4 hits, including a pair of doubles, to lead the Banes offense as Robin Blaun and Sue Seefeldt both added 2.

Banes also edged past Orleans Vets 7-5 in the winners bracket final as Blaun, Allen, Jamie Chatt and Sarah Surdel all had hits to key a 4 run fourth inning.

The opening game of the title round saw Jr. Wilson snap a scoreless deadlock by tallying twice in the fourth frame on hits by Sara Flansburg and Michelle Crandall and an error.

Jr. Wilson upped the advantage to 7-0 by scoring three times in the fifth frame as Flansburg had a double and twice in the sixth on a double by Jackie Gudzek and a single by Flansburg.

Banes, which finally broke onto the scoreboard with 4 runs in the seventh on a two-run double by Chatt and RBI singles by Surdel and Amy Allis, kept the momentum going into the second and deciding title round contest.

Banes erupted four 4 quick first inning runs in that contest on a two-run double by Allen, and RBI double by Seefeldt and a run producing single by Surdel.

Connie Heschke, who ignited that uprising with a single, tacked on an RBI triple in the second inning and Allen added an RBI single in the third to make it 6-3. A fielders choice play off the bat of Blaun later added a run in the fifth an en error plated the final tally in the sixth.

Heschke, Seefeldt, Allen and Allis each finished with 2 hits.

Jr. Wilson got on the scoreboard with 3 runs in the third on a two-run single by Flansburg and an RBI single by Sami Johnson.

Jr. Wilson later pulled to within one at 6-5 after scoring twice in the fifth on an error and a single by Flansburg but could not pull even.

Flansburg, who also had an RBI single in the seventh, finished with 3 hits as did Jodi Zacher.

Defensively each team turned a pair of double plays. Heschke and Blaun keyed the double plays for Banes as did Johnson and Bri Gudzek for Jr. Wilson.

Banes third baseman Sarah Surdel awaits the throw as Penny Roth closes in on the bag for Jr. Wilson.

Jamie Chatt stretches to try and make a catch in the outfield for Banes as Sue Seefeldt moves in to back up the play.