Valainis bears down, leads Knights
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By Shannon Heaton | Tuesday, July 08, 2008 |
DEWITT, Iowa — If there’s anything that makes Alyson Valainis smile while she’s inside the circle pitching for her Assumption softball team, she isn’t letting on.
She broke concentration for just one moment during Monday night’s 1-0 Class 3A Region 7 semifinal win over Central DeWitt. At the end of Knights coach Bob Matthys’ second visit to the circle, it appeared first baseman Maggie Carlin lightly smacked Valainis in the head.
But Valainis, who struck out 11 and allowed just one single and one walk in the victory for the Knights (28-11) wouldn’t confirm — nor completely deny — her teammate’s act.
“I just fell. It happens,” Valainis said, displaying her best poker face. “I’m not sure. I always look back at my teammates and it happens.
“I’m totally motivated right now. It’s one and done. I don’t want the season to be over, I don’t want to say goodbye to the seniors yet. I’m going to go as hard as I can every time.”
The Knights, ranked sixth in the final Class 3A state poll, will face No. 1-ranked Clear Creek-Amana in Wednesday night’s regional championship, with the winner of that game heading to the state tournament next week in Fort Dodge.
“We’ve got to be patient again, stay focused on what we want to hit,” said Assumption senior Morgan Finn, who scored the game’s only run Monday night. “We can’t give in to the pitcher.“
Valainis showed the way there as well. After Finn singled to open the second inning, Valainis doubled up the middle. As the ball sliced away from Saber centerfielder Courtney Bauer, Finn got a vigorous signal to score from Matthys.
“We’re usually a very aggressive baserunning team. Whenever we get the opportunity to score, we do,” Finn said. “I saw coach signaling, and I knew I wasn’t stopping.“
Valainis credited her increased power production of late to a better plate approach.
“I’m not sure, but I try to be really focused in, watching it all the way to the plate,” she said. “For a while, I was getting the movement, but I would just miss it.”
And in six of her seven innings on the mound, she was dominating. Only in the fourth, when Saber freshman Lindsey Smith singled, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error, did Central DeWitt (14-26) mount an offensive threat. Valainis’ counterpart, Brittany Hughes, did her level best to keep the Sabers in it, allowing just three hits and walking two, with two hit batters.
“She made really good pitches tonight,” Matthys said of both Valainis and Hughes. “We only see one or two left-handers every year, and each time it’s gotten harder. We’re happy getting out of here with a win.”
So, too, was Sabers coach Kevin Roling.
“We came out ranked 10th in the first rankings of the year, and I really thought that was appropriate for what we had,” he said. “We didn’t show that until the end of the year. We figured things out in the end.”
Contact the sports desk at 563-383-2285 or email sports@qctimes.com.
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