Pitcher-catcher bond key to Jefferson's 9-0 start
Emmi Liptow says she and Julie Perry have been playing softball together since they were 12 years old.
Perry believes it is longer than that.
No matter what the right answer is, there is no doubt that the Jefferson teammates share a unique chemistry on the diamond.
“I feel like we can read each other’s mind,” Liptow said.
“We really trust each other,” Perry added.
That trust is crucial because Liptow calls all of the pitches for Jefferson. And, most often, Perry is in the circle.
Photo Gallery: SMCC at Jefferson softball
Pitcher and catcher were in sync Wednesday as Perry limited St. Mary Catholic Central to just two hits in an 8-2 Jefferson win that gave the Bears a 9-0 overall record and 3-0 mark in the Huron League.
“The battery was charged and working today,” said Jefferson coach Chad Liptow. “Julia was fantastic. She made one mistake all day and Emmi called all the pitches.”
Emmi Liptow, the coach’s daughter, said even the pitch that St. Mary Catholic Central’s Avery Dalton clubbed over the fence for a two-run homer in the seventh inning was a good pitch.
“Honestly, it wasn’t even a mistake,” she said. “She struck out on the same pitch twice before, but she got a piece of that one and it went a long way.”
By that point, Perry was working with an eight-run lead.
The Bears scored twice in the first on clutch, two-out singles by Lindsey Gennoe, and Brooke Payment and made it 3-0 with a run in the second when Liptow and Rylee Dunn had singles.
Cameran Carter had the key hit in a two-run fourth. She doubled home two more runs in the sixth.
Liptow, Carter and Alivia LeBrun had two hits each for Jefferson and Carter drove in five runs.
The key play came on defense.
Consecutive errors gave SMCC a scoring threat in the fourth, but Perry fielded a bunt and threw out the batter for the first out of the inning, then first baseman Gracie Jones relayed to Liptow to cut down a runner at the plate.
“That was huge,” coach Liptow said. “The girls are getting comfortable on defense. That was the biggest thing against Riverview and today. They are getting it done on defense. I am so proud of these girls.”
“The doubleplay was huge,” Emmi Liptow added. “We turned one just like that against Riverview.”
“It was one of the plays of the game,” Perry said.
When hitting, pitching and defense are all working, it adds up to a 9-0 record.
“Everything is working,” Perry said. “It feels really good. We are bonding together well.”
Things didn’t go nearly as well for SMCC.
“The girls didn’t adjust,” Kestrel coach Dani Emery said. “They let the pitcher dictate. And we made too many errors.”
Emery was happy to see Alayna Pinkelman break up Perry’s no-hitter in the seventh inning and Dalton follow with a home run.
“My girls usually don’t quit,” the coach said. “She (Dalton) is one girl who made an adjustment. She can swing the bat and when she gets it, it goes a long way.”
But overall, it was a bad day for the 4-5 Kestrels.
“I’m not really happy,” Emery said. “We didn’t play like we could.”
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Pitcher-catcher bond key to Jefferson's 9-0 start
