Hartland wins clash between two of top softball pitchers in Michigan to capture KLAA West
HARTLAND — Hartland softball coach Taylor Wagner turned toward a player in the Eagles’ dugout and said without a hint of exaggeration, “This may be the best pitcher you will face in your life.”
It wasn’t an attempt to psyche out her own players, rather an affirmation that what Hartland’s batters were achieving Thursday against Novi senior Reganne Bennett was something special.
The Eagles hit Bennett better than any team has this season in a 6-0 victory that clinched the KLAA West championship.
Hartland completed division play with a perfect 14-0 record after beating second-place Novi in the second game, 4-2.
The first game was a showcase between two of the top pitchers in Michigan.
Bennett is a University of South Carolina recruit who entered the game with a 9-1 record, a 0.58 earned run average and 135 strikeouts in 72⅓ innings.
Hartland countered with senior Kylie Swierkos, a Grand Valley State University signee, who is 10-1 with a 1.03 ERA and an astonishing ratio of 146 strikeouts to only four walks in 93⅔ innings.
Swierkos knew what she was up against.
“I actually had a lot of nervous energy today,” she said. “Reganne’s an amazing pitcher and Novi’s always a huge opponent, so going up against them there’s obviously a lot of nerves. I had a lot of faith in my team, so I knew we could lock it down and do it.”
Swierkos continued her dominant senior season, throwing a one-hitter, striking out 11 and not allowing a walk. She retired the first 13 batters she faced and allowed Novi’s only hit with two outs in the sixth inning.
“She just wanted to play the game,” Wagner said. “She wanted the ball in her hands. She just wanted to win that game so bad, which was awesome.”
Just as impressive was the performance of Hartland’s hitters, who went 8-for-27 against Bennett. The eight hits and six runs were the most allowed by Bennett this season. In five of her 11 previous starts, she gave up two hits or less.
Bennett struck out 11 batters and allowed only one walk.
“It was nerve-racking at first, but we’ve been practicing really hard,” said Hartland senior Faith DeLanoy, who had two hits. “We just knew if we kept our swings nice and short and simple and bat to the ball, then we’ll be good.”
Hartland is hitting .334 as a team against a tough schedule, with the top eight batters checking in at .328 or higher.
“I know top to bottom, this is one of the most talented Hartland teams we’ve had in a while, which is saying a lot because we’ve had some really great hitting teams,” Wagner said. “But top to bottom, they make it happen. They put the ball in play. They weren’t trying to do too much, which was the key to that.
“As a player and a former catcher, I’ve caught a lot of great pitchers, I’ve seen a lot of great pitchers. She’s way up there with some of the best. You’ve just got to tip your hats to our girls; they did amazing.”
Hartland grabbed the early momentum, scoring twice in the first inning. Kate McIntyre started the rally with a one-out double and scored on a double by Sadie Malik. The second run scored on an error during a rundown between third base and home.
The Eagles extended their lead to 6-0 with a four-run fourth inning. A two-run double by Skylar Spisz highlighted the inning.
Both teams used their No. 2 pitchers in the second game. Hartland freshman Olivia Forrest allowed two unearned runs in five innings before Swierkos pitched two shutout innings of relief.
Novi took a 2-0 lead in the first inning before Hartland countered with three in the fourth on a two-run double by Reese Dunny and a single by DeLanoy. Malik’s sacrifice fly in the fifth provided an insurance run.
Hartland will play in the semifinals of the KLAA’s championship bracket the week on May 22, most likely against Livonia Churchill. Novi and Livonia Stevenson will meet in the other semifinal. The Eagles won the KLAA title last season.
“You can do a lot of things without winning a conference, but this is still a big title,” Wagner said. “This is the regular season. We hope to see (Novi) in a couple weeks still. This is a tough team. We were circling this for some really good competition.”
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Hartland wins clash between two of top softball pitchers in Michigan
