Tournament-tested Lake tops Riverside

The Lake Catholic softball team this season returns all but three players from the 2017 team that advanced to a Division II regional final.

Coach Jim Galloway’s squad also has another important ingredient, one it didn’t have last year at this time. Expectations. Paced by a dominating pitching performance by junior Lauren Bush, Lake Catholic defeated visiting Riverside, 4-1, on a soggy afternoon on April 11.

A year ago this time, the Cougars might not have won such a game. But this year, that new intangible — expectations, both internal and external — is a trump card the Cougars enjoy having in their hip pocket.

It’s given them some confidence.

“It’s different,” Galloway said. “We had a nice run, a regional run. Now we’re expected to win. We’re trying not to put pressure on ourselves. We’re trying to keep it light for the girls so they don’t put a lot of pressure on themselves.”

That mindset seemed to work against a young Riverside team that came into the game riding the crest of a 5-1 start.

Even though Lake left runners scoring position in the first two innings, it didn’t press.

“We went to Akron. We’ve had that pressure,” Galloway noted.

So come the third inning, Lake Catholic got the clutch hits it was missing in the first two innings. With two runners on, Brynn Vargo destroyed a Sarah Kovalchuk offering and deposited it against the fence in center field to make it 2-0.

One batter later, Amanda Mauer singled sharply to plate Vargo to make it 3-0.

One inning earlier, Vargo nearly hit one out in left field, settling for a double.

“The ball got knocked down a little bit because of the rain,” said Galloway of the two long balls. “In May, both of those are gone.”

The 3-0 lead was more than enough for Bush, whose pitching got the Cougars to the regional final a year ago. Bush got another insurance run in the sixth when Vargo scored on a wild pitch, but she was firmly in control throughout.

Bush walked one and struck out a pair. She got some phenomenal defense behind here, including a throw-out at third base on a picture-perfect throw from Kara Maiden, and a doubleplay in the sixth inning.

Riverside’s only run came on a solo home run by Maylie Mellon, her second of the season.

“That was typical Lauren Bush,” Galloway said of his junior pitcher. “Lefthanded, hitting her spots, not striking out a lot of kids, but getting kids to pop up, ground out... Coach (Greg) Dugger calls all the pitches and she hits her spots.

“That was a typical Lauren Bush outing.”

Riverside coach Bill Ross lamented the lack of clutch hits in the game. Twice his team left runners in scoring position, so a hit here or there could have narrowed the gap.

“Obviously we didn’t get the runs when we needed them,” he said. “We’ve got to hit better, no doubt . ... This is the first time we saw some growing pains. We won close games down in Myrtle Beach. We just have to hit better.”

Riverside plays games against Western Reserve Conference foe South on April 12 and 13, while Lake Catholic is idle until April 14 with a mixed twinbill against Wickliffe and Riverside again.

“Hoban and Walsh, a couple of final fours,” Galloway said of his team’s two losses this year to a pair of Division I state semifinalists a year ago. “That’ll help us later. That’ll help us in May. It’s tough when they’re in your conference. But that helps you in May, I think.”