Vassar baseball routed Saginaw High 20-2 in the first game, but fell one run short in the championship game, 7-6.
The softball team also had little trouble beating Saginaw High 16-0, but couldn’t top the Rockets who won the championship game 10-2.
Vassar hosted the fifth TVC East Jamboree on Friday, May 2. The Vulcans finished fifth with a team score of 182. Brandon Drews shot a 39 to lead the Vulcans, followed by Matt Tompkins who shot a 45.
On Monday, the golf team traveled to the Timbers for TVC Jamboree 6, and compiled a team score of 179, good for fifth place. Drews shot a 35, the lowest score of the meet.
On Thursday, the golf team took first place at the 6th TVC Jamboree at Bay County Golf Course, edging North Branch by one stroke, 169-170. 169 is the team’s lowest score of the season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Drews earned another medal with a Jamboree-best 38. He was followed by Vulcans Ryan Huber (42), Matt Tompkins (44), and Jake Kokowicz (45).
The Vulcan golf team placed fourth at the 19th annual Jerry Warner Memorial golf invitational at the Vassar Golf and Country Club.
Frankenmuth won the event with a team score of 151, followed by North Branch and Swan Valley, who both ended with 157. Vassar had a team score of 166, followed by fifth-place LakeVille (171), Mayville (176), Alcona (187), Birch Run (193) and Millington (194).
The two-man team of Brandon Drews and Nick Andreychuk shot a best-ball round of 75 to lead Vassar. Jake Kokowicz and Ryan Huber shot a 91, while Mike Tebedo and Matt Tompkins combined for a 94.
Frankenmuth’s Matt Coulter and Cameron Sich were medalists after shooting a 74.
Both the boys and girls track teams won at the Mayville quadrangular on Monday, May 5.
The girls won by a final score of 103, with second-place Millington scoring 53. Mayville (47) and Birch Run (33) rounded out the field.
Amanda Blaney won both the shot put and discus, while Ashley Schiefer won both the 800 and 1600-meter runs. Lauren Kasper won the 400-meter dash, and Samantha Groen won the 3200-meter run.
Both the 1600 and 3200-meter relay teams also finished first.
The boys won with 84 points, followed by Millington with 64, Birch Run with 52, and Mayville with 48.
Ben Ward took first in the shot put, while Zach Palmer won the 110 hurdles. Josh Dubois took first in the 100-meter dash, Zach Germain won the 300 hurdles, and Nick Landskroener took first place in the 800-meter run.
The 3200-meter relay team also took first place.
The Vulcans split a doubleheader with Bad Axe on Thursday, May 8.
Game one went to the Hatchets by the final score of 4-3. Kyle Lemcke picked up the loss, striking out six hitters. Vassar came back to win the nightcap by the score of 9-4. Jon Ostrander was the winning pitcher with five strikeouts.
Ostrander, Shane Shoens and Mike Arksey led the Vulcan hitters with three hits each in the doubleheader.
Vassar also split the JV doubleheader with Bad Axe. Vassar lost game one 11-1, but prevailed in game two 11-1. John Riley had a shutout going for six innings in game one, and also struck out six batters.
The Vulcans rolled over Bad Axe, winning game one 4-2 and the nightcap 12-8. Haley Zwerk had nine strikeouts on her way to the win in game one.
It took a six-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the nightcap, but Vassar did just that spurred by a bases-load triple by Kayla Verbeek.
Record: 21-2, 4-2 TVC.
This week in Vulcan sports
BY BILL PETZOLD, Staff Writer
VASSAR - The JV softball team won the championship at the St. Louis Invitational on April 26.
The Vulcans beat Vestaburg 7-4 to open the tourney, before mowing down Burton-Bentley 11-1 in the semi-final game.
Haley Zwerk was the winning pitcher against the Vestaburg Wolverines, striking out five and going 3-for-4 at the plate. Chia Campbell led the offense, also going 3-for-4 and driving in five runs.
Chelsea Coffey threw a two-hitter against the Bulldogs, striking out eight. Amberlee Hauger powered the offense with two doubles and a single, while Leah Hoyt went 2-for-3 for Vassar.
Zwerk took the mound in the championship game, an 8-3 Vulcan victory against Tawas. The Braves managed seven hits against Zwerk, but she countered with nine strikeouts. Kayla Verbeek had three hits for Vassar, including two triples. Jessica Ostrander went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs.
Fresh from the sweep at the St. Louis tournament, the JV softball team pounded the Caro Tigers twice on April 28.
The Vulcans did not allow a single run in the doubleheader while outscoring Caro, 41-0.
Game one was a 26-0 victory for Vassar, and the Vulcans scored 15 runs in the nightcap. Pitchers Haley Zwerk and Chelsea Coffey each picked up another win. Zwerk also added four hits, while Alisha Campbell led the team with five hits on the night.
Vassar finally met its match on Thursday, May 1 against visiting Frankenmuth, losing 15-1 and 7-3 - the team’s first two losses of the season.
The JV Vulcans are 19-2 overall, with a 4-2 record in the Tri-Valley Conference East division.
TRACK
The varsity boys and girls track teams both won their divisions at the 12th Annual Vassar Track Invitational on April 25.
Ten teams competed in the event in two divisions. Vassar, Birch Run, Sandusky, Mayville and Millington made up the Orange Division, while Hartland, Arthur Hill, Clio, Bridgeport and Garber made up the Black Division.
Both Vulcan teams brought home first place trophies from the Orange Division, while the boys finished second in total points and the girls team finished third.
Amanda Blaney took first place in both the shot put and discus, and Lauren Kasper once again took first in the 400-meter dash. Kayle Ridley took second place in the 100-meter hurdles.
The boys also claimed three first place finishes. Zach Palmer took first in the 110-meter high hurdles, and Dontay Crist took first place in the 100-meter dash. Ben Ward took first place in the shot put and second in the discus. Keif Vickers finished second in the long jump, and Zach Germain finished third in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.
BASEBALL
Varsity
The Vulcans lost a pair of games against visiting Caro on April 28. The Tigers won game one, 1-0 and the nightcap 10-4.
On Thursday, May 1 Vassar was back in action at Frankenmuth and managed a split with the Eagles.
The Vulcans took game one 7-6 behind winning pitcher Nolan Opperman. Frankenmuth prevailed 9-2 in the second game.
Kyle Lemcke had four hits in the doubleheader, while Mike Endert, Mike Arksey, and Tyler Jenkins and belted three hits each.
Record: 7-11, 2-4 TVC
JV
The JV team split with Caro on Monday, winning 10-9 in game one and losing game two 7-3. Zach Aranyos picked up the win in the first game.
Aranyos, Zach Kobman, Austin Huber, Garret Troike, and Jeff Wickings all had two hits each in the first game.
Vassar dropped two games to Frankenmuth on Thursday, 11-2 and 9-2.
Wickings and Huber both had two hits in the doubleheader.
Record: 7-9, 2-4 TVC.
SOFTBALL
Varsity
The Vulcans may have to settle for a tie. After battling Caro for 10 innings, the nightcap of Monday’s doubleheader at Vassar was called because of darkness with the score still tied at 0-0.
Meghan Case went the distance, striking out 16 in ten innings. The game will be concluded at a later date if the outcome will have an affect on league standings.
The Tigers won game one 5-2. Olivia Germain had two hits in the loss. Kara Stevens had three hits through ten innings when the second game was suspended. Vassar lost twice at Frankenmuth, two shutouts for the Eagles.
The Vulcans lost game one 9-0, in spite of 10 strikeouts from Meghan Case and two hits from Kerry Esckelson.
Ali McClenathen struck out five batters in a 5-0 nightcap loss.
Record: 12-8-1, 2-3-1 TVC.
GOLF
The Vulcans finished fourth out of eight teams at The Bridgeport TVC Jamboree on April 29 with a team score of 176.
Brandon Drews shot a 41 to lead Vassar, while Jake Kokowicz and Casey Williams both put together rounds of 43.
The next day, the Vulcans traveled to The Fortress Golf Course with its fescue-covered mounds and well-guarded greens for the Frankenmuth TVC Jamboree. Vassar tied for fourth place.
Drews shot a 41 to lead the Vulcans, while Nick Andreychuk shot a 45 and Williams shot a 47.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
This week in Vassar sports
BY BILL PETZOLD, Staff Writer
VASSAR — Vulcan sports teams have been making their mark in the Tri-Valley Conference.
Both the boys and girls track teams are currently undefeated and the varsity softball team won both of its conference games against Bridgeport. The JV softball team is 14-0 as of presstime.
GOLF
The varsity team lost a match with Cass City on April 21, 172-187. Brandon Drews and Matt Tompkins posted the low scores for the Vulcans.
Vassar also finished sixth at the TVC East Jamboree hosted by Caro at the Caro Golf Course. Ryan Huber had a low round of 45 for the Vulcans, who finished with a team score of 198.
BASEBALL
Varsity
Vassar lost two games at St. Louis on April 21, by the scores of 6-4 and 7-6.
Jon Ostrander had four hits, including a home run and a double. Mike Arksey had three hits, including two triples. Tyler Jenkins and Kyle Lemcke also had three hits each.
Vassar hosted a round-robin with LakeVille and Kearsley on April 22.
A walk-off two-run homer by Evan Kobman in the bottom of the seventh gave the Vulcans a 6-4 win against LakeVille in the opener.
Kobman’s blast was the third for Vassar, following home runs by Arksey and Ostrander. Both went 2-for-3 in the game. Nolan Opperman was the winning pitcher.
After Kearsley defeated LakeVille, the Vulcans beat the Hornets 6-4. Garrett Troike was the winning pitcher.
Coach Chris Baldwin, a Kearsley grad, said that the round-robin games came about because he is long-time friends with the coaches of both teams. The teams will play at Kearsley next year.
“It’s a pretty neat thing to do,” Baldwin said. “We might play LakeVille, but Kearsley is a little bit bigger than we are. It’s always good to play them and we’ve been pretty successful over the years.”
Baldwin said the visiting teams were impressed with Vassar’s athletic complex. “We get a lot of compliments from players and parents about our facilities,” he said. “I just want to give kudos to the grounds crew. They work very hard and they’re doing a nice job.”
On Thursday, the Vulcans played Bridgeport and split a pair of games with the Bearcats. Bridgeport won game one 5-0, and Vassar took the nightcap 9-3.
Kyle Lemcke picked up the win, striking out six batters. Ostrander had four hits and scored three times, and Arksey added two hits.
Record: 6-8 overall, 1-1 TVC East.
JV
The JV team beat St. Louis twice on Monday. Dan Kennard was the winning pitcher in game one, a 7-5 Vulcan victory. Nolan Whitney took the mound in relief and struck out seven Sharks to preserve the win.
John Riley was the winning pitcher in a 12-6 nightcap win.
Trent Bellamy had three hits in the game and drove in three runs for Vassar. The JV team lost twice to LakeVille on Tuesday. Brandon Peters, Jeff Wickings and Austin Huber each had two hits.
On Thursday, the JV team split with Bridgeport.
Vassar won game one, 7-6. Whitney was the winning pitcher with eight strike outs. Brandon Peters hit a solo homer in game one. The Bearcats won game two, 7-1.
Record: 6-6 overall, 1-1 1 and 10-0.
SOFTBALL
Varsity
The varsity softball team pounded St. Louis 7-1 and 11-1 April 21.
Meghan Case picked up a win in game one, striking out 14 Sharks in seven innings. Courtney Abbs had three hits and drove in three runs and Kerry Esckelson had two hits. Case also had two hits for the Vulcans.
Ali McClenathen won the nightcap, striking out six. Olivia Germain had two hits. The varsity team split with LakeVille on April 22.
McClenathen struck out eight Falcons in a 5-3 loss in game one, while Case and Abbs both had two hits.
Case picked up the win in game two, striking out seven hitters and shutting out LakeVille 5-0. She was helped by Alexis MacKay who had two hits.
The Vulcans won twice Thursday against Bridgeport 12-1 and 10-0. Case was the winning pitcher in game one with ten strikeouts. Kara Stevens led the offense with three hits and drove in three runs. Olivia Germain and Case also had two hits each. Case drove in five runs in the double header.
McClenathen picked up the win in game two, recording another five strikeouts. MacKay, Esckelson and Case had two hits each.
Record: 12-5 overall, 2-0 TVC.
JV
The JV team defeated St. Louis twice Monday.
Haley Zwerk struck out seven hitters in game one, a 6-1 Vassar win. Zwerk, Allison Jacot, Hannah Opperma, and Jessica Ostrander all hit triples.
Chelsea Coffey picked up the win in game two, striking out six in a 12-3 victory. Opperman added another triple in game two and scored three times.
The Vulcans added two more wins Tuesday against LakeVille, 7-3 in game one and 11-8 in the nightcap.
Zwerk pitched both games and picked up two more wins. She also struck out ten batters.
Emily Aranyos led the offense, driving in four runs.
The JV team won both games against Bridgeport by the scores of 16-0 and 21-2. Zwerk won game one with seven strikeouts and Coffey won game two with six strikeouts. Aranyos scored six runs, while Amberly Hauger and Kelsey Hecht scored four runs each in the double header.
Record: 16-0, 2-0 TVC.
TRACK
The varsity boys and girls track teams beat Garber on April 23.
The girls team won 74-54, and is now 3-0 in the TVC East.
Amanda Blaney won the discus and the shot put.
Hilary MacKay finished first in the long jump, and Lauren Kasper cleared four feet, 11 inches to take first in the high jump. She was joined by Amanda Shavrnoch and Ashley Schiefer to complete a sweep of the top three spots in the event.
Kasper won the 400-meter dash and MacKay won the 100-meter dash.
The 400-meter relay team of Kerry Esckelson, Haley Kern, Allison Schiefer and Spenser Wells took first place.
The boys team had nine first-place finishes and won 84-52 against the Dukes. Vassar is 3-0 in the TVC East.
Ben Ward won the discus and Keif Vickers won the long jump. Troy Hecht won both the high jump and 400-meter dash.
Zach Palmer won the 110-meter high hurdles. Justin Woolwine won both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash.
The 800-meter relay team of Woolwine, Lance Trudeau, Vickers, and Madison Harper took first place, and the 400-meter relay team of Winston Adkins, Harper, Vickers and Trudeau also finished first.
