PREP SOFTBALL: Reames, Ulfig power Concord past NorthWood

Apr. 18—NAPPANEE — Concord did not have a hit through 6 2/3rd innings Tuesday.

They then hit two, with the latter being as big of a hit as you can get.

Sophomore Cassi Reames launched an opposite-field grand slam for the Minutemen with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, giving the visitors a 6-0 lead over NorthWood. Concord would then close out the game in the bottom half of the frame to win by that same score in the Northern Lakes Conference softball opener for both teams.

The grand slam was the third home run of the season for Reames and first since March 28.

"It really made my heart feel a whole lot better at that point," said Concord coach Brent Bardo of Reames' grand slam. "NorthWood can really put some runs on the board; they did it against Elkhart (Saturday), so you've always got to stay a little bit ahead of them. I was proud of Cassi. For a sophomore, she does a good job."

Concord (2-5, 1-0 NLC) did not register a hit in the game until senior Allie Moss's single two batters before Reames' slam. Freshman Esmeralda Perez then walked, loading the bases since freshman Allison Ralston was already on third base.

The Minutemen scored its two prior runs in the second inning, capitalizing on two NorthWood errors in doing so. Junior Alexis Hapner hit a groundball to third base, with the ensuing throw getting past the Panthers' first baseman.

After senior Sara Cramer drew a walk, freshman Shelby Emerick came up to bat. She bunted the ball down the first base line, forcing a tough play for NorthWood's Carly Mast. The Panther senior made an errant throw because of it, with the ball trickling all the way into the right field corner. This allowed Hapner and Cramer to score, with Emerick ending up on third base.

"I think it took the momentum away from (NorthWood) a little bit," Bardo said. "I keep telling the kids, 'Bunting wins for you.' Even if we didn't get the grand slam, we still would've won the ball game."

NorthWood sophomore pitcher Adriana Beachy then hit the next Minutemen batter, putting runners at the corners. Beachy recovered from there, getting the next two batters out to end the scoring threat.

She would then retire 11 more Concord hitters in a row, not allowing a base runner again until there were two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. For the game, Beachy gave up just the two hits, recording six strikeouts across seven innings of work.

"She pitched a great game, and at 6-0 — people see that score and think we gave up more than we actually did," said NorthWood coach Mandy DeMien of Beachy's performance. "It really is just hard. She pitched really well, and what I liked — until the last inning — was she wasn't throwing many pitches. That was really nice."

Unfortunately for the home team, they couldn't muster much offense against Concord's Kareena Ulfig. The senior pitcher gave up just four hits, two of which came in back-to-back batters in the second inning from senior Abigail Miller and freshman Alex Lowery. Ulfig was able to get out of the jam in the next at-bat, inducing a lineout from Panther senior Kailey Martin.

NorthWood (2-5, 0-1 NLC) only moved one more runner into scoring position the rest of the game, with Miller reaching second base again in the bottom of the fifth inning. A sharp ground ball from Martin went right to Reames at shortstop, though, and the Minutemen were able to run down Miller for the out.

"I felt like we did a good job of hitting the ball hard, it was just nothing was falling for us," DeMien said. "I felt like my girls were relaxed and did a good job at the plate. We hit the ball hard, and (Concord) made some great plays. Nothing was going our way."

Ulfig pitched a complete game, striking out six batters.

"She was brilliant," said Bardo of Ulfig. "She's done that all year long. We've played some pretty darn good teams, and so it's time for her to celebrate one like this."

Both teams return to NLC action Wednesday. NorthWood will host Northridge, while Concord hosts Plymouth. Northridge defeated Goshen, 14-4 (6 innings) Tuesday in its NLC opener, while Plymouth lost to Mishawaka, 8-4, Tuesday as well.

Austin Hough can be reached at austin.hough@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2360. Follow him on Twitter at @AustinHoughTGN.