Pitchers dominate in weekend sweep of LSSU

Kraatz throws perfect game, Fulton strikes out 13, hits home run in doubleheader

by Anthony Fontana
Vanguard Staff Writer

March 31, 2008 —

Following perfection with total dominance is a good formula for victory, and it's one the Cardinals softball team followed this weekend.

A perfect game followed by a 13-strikeout performance helped the Cardinals sweep Lake Superior State University in a doubleheader on Saturday.

In the first game, junior pitcher Stacy Kraatz pitched a perfect game, leading the Cardinals to a 10-0 victory that only had to go five innings due to the mercy rule coming into effect.

Kraatz's performance left her teammates in amazement.

"Stacy threw one of the best games I've ever seen," freshman pitcher Jade Fulton said. "She was throwing fantastic and the team backed her up every step of the way."

The Cardinals scored 10 runs on five hits. They were aided in large part by five Laker errors.

After a 1-2-3 first inning for Kraatz, freshman first baseman Ashley Jordan knocked in two runs and from there, the rout was on.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, sophomore centerfielder Angela Kaiser hit a deep fly ball that the Laker outfield had trouble with that scored two runs. A dropped third strike and a high throw to first, both of which were errors, resulted in two more runs for the Cardinals. Junior shortstop Nicole Fick added an RBI in the second, to complete the five-run inning.

Kraatz, who believed it was her first perfect game in college, struck out seven, while improving her record to 6-2. After the game, she was quick to give credit to the rest of her team's performance.

"Well, it takes an entire team to win games, and we definitely had our team behind us both games. It makes pitching much easier when your teammates give you that much cushion ... it takes a little bit of the pressure off," Kraatz said.

In game two, the Cards got another dominating pitching performance, this time from Fulton, who pitched a complete game, striking out 13 and allowing two hits in a 6-1 Cardinal win.

The Cardinals got on the board early with a two-run home run by Fick, and, allowing Fulton to concentrate on pitching. Senior third baseman Cassidy Baker followed with a hit to center resulting in two RBIs.

In the third inning, Fulton, in the midst of a pitching gem, showed off her offensive ability as well with a home run of her own.

After the game, Fulton credited the home crowd, which she believed played just as big a role as the pitching did in the Cardinals victories.

"At the beginning of the season, we had a team goal to go undefeated at home, that was our biggest motivation," Fulton said. "The home crowd was fantastic today and that is always a boost of confidence when you know people are there for you."

Kaiser had another solid game offensively for the Cardinals, going 2-4 at the plate and scoring two runs, raising her average to .306.

With the sweep, the Cardinals improved their overall record to 16-6, while starting off the GLIAC season perfect at 2-0. The Lakers overall record dropped to 4-16, 0-2 GLIAC.

Though she said the day belonged to Kraatz's perfect game, Fulton thanked her for allowing her to go out and pitch a spectacular game of her own.

"Stacy's perfect game was amazing, and it just made me want to go out the next game and have that much fun too."

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