In the clutch
Schwab pitches lady sluggers out of jam

By JONATHAN BOMBULIE
Collegian Sports Writer

Akron had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the fourth. The Zips had just scored to take a 2-1 lead, and were threatening to blow the game wide open. The pressure of the situation might be enough to overcome even the most seasoned of relief pitchers.

But freshman Anje Schwab toed the rubber confidently. She got Akron shortstop Stacy Emig to line into an inning-ending, possibly game-saving, double play. The Lady Lions went on to win with a run in the bottom of the seventh, 3-2.

"It's what you have to thrive on as a pitcher," Schwab said. "You always want to be in the big game in a big situation and make the play. It's a little nerve-racking, but it's exciting. It's a good feeling when you get the job done."

Schwab went on to pitch three more scoreless innings to get the win, allowing only one Zip to reach base -- on a leadoff single in the sixth. She was quick to credit her defense, especially second baseman Marisa Marucci for her clutch catch in the fourth.

"It was an awesome play," Schwab said. "It saved me big time. Overall, we played very good defense. They were solid behind me."

Lady Lion Assistant Coach Laura Fillipp said Schwab has also been prepared in practice so that she is not overwhelmed in a pressure situation.

"She knows what she has to do to be successful," Fillipp said. "You work really hard in practice. You make them pitch with runners on, runners in scoring position, so that they're used to doing that. When it comes time in a game, they know they have to pitch their game, and that's the bottom line."

The freshman hurler used a variety of breaking pitches to keep the Zips off balance. In addition to the double play, she recorded one strikeout and got six ground outs in 3 2/3 innings of work.

"She knows she can't throw the ball by people," junior pitcher Heidi Hanna said. "She throws a lot of drop balls, gets a lot of ground balls. They're going to hit the ball, but they're not going to hit it solidly and we're going to make the plays."