SOFTBALL: Adams outlasts Stoney Creek for district crown
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
Dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
TW: @LocalSportsFans | North Oakland Sports
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ROCHESTER HILLS – Sabrina Lee remembers the feeling of winning a district title like it was yesterday.
Rochester Adams senior pitcher struck out seven and scattered 10 baserunners in recording the district finals win over Rochester Stoney Creek
The then-freshman pitcher at Rochester Adams was an integral part of the Highlanders’ postseason accolades that included a Division 1 district championship in 2019.
Lee and Adams had their 2020 season wiped away due to all the COVID cancellations and lockdowns, while the 2021 season ended in disappointment with a loss to Rochester Stoney Creek in the district finals.
In her final go-around this season, Lee and the Highlanders outlasted host Stoney Creek, 5-3, Saturday to claim a district trophy for the first time since that 2019 campaign.
“This really means everything as a senior,” smiled Lee. “It doesn’t seem that long ago when we won (as freshmen). This is only the third time in our history that we were able to win a league and district title at the same time. We’ve worked so hard and we’ve worked so hard to become a team. We do it for one another and not ourselves. It’s something special to be apart of and I’m so proud of my team for winning this year.”
Rochester Adams’ Stella Phillips rolls into third base standing up during Saturday’s district finals.
Adams, who will face OAA Red Division champion Lake Orion in the regional semifinals next Saturday at Oxford, improved to 29-5 on the season – one of the school’s best win percentages in ages (.853). Adams coach Fran Scislowicz pointed to a strong senior class and the arm of Lee as being the key ingredients.
“She’s been so solid her whole time at Adams and she came through with another solid pitching performance again today,” praised the veteran Scislowicz of Lee. “She’s a once in every 10- or 20-year pitcher for us at Adams. We haven’t had that many who have been so steady. She’s a big part of what we have been able to accomplish this season. She was our pitcher three years ago as a freshman when we upset Romeo in the districts and she led us against today. We also have a strong senior class and they have all done their part to help us have a great season.”
Lee went the distance from the circle, scattering eight hits, allowing 10 baserunners and struck out seven in the win. She also blanked Auburn Hills Avondale in the semifinals earlier in the day.
Adams scored four runs in the top of the second inning to take control before tacking on an insurance run in the seventh. Stoney Creek (26-11-2) spoiled the shutout with a run in the sixth and scored two more in the bottom of the seventh to make it dangerous before the rally stalled.
Down in the 4-0 hole, the Cougars staged a late-inning rally to come within striking distance. Stoney Creek finally cracked Lee’s code in the bottom of the sixth when Sydney Rottermond connected for an RBI infield single that plated Stefanie Stephens.
In the seventh, Stoney Creek strung together three hits to score two more runs. Stefanie Stephens drove in Kaylie Misiak and Danielle Bryant with a two-out double to left. But Lee was able to shut the doors and force Katie Stephens to ground out to short to end the game.
Despite no championship hardware to show for it, as the Cougars finished second in the OAA Red Division before falling short in the district finals, second-year coach Dave Troy couldn’t be more proud of his program making the state map as an honorable mention listing on the Division 1 rankings and 26 wins on a leaded schedule.
Rochester Stoney Creek starter Maddie Laviolette hurls this second-inning pitch against Rochester Adams in Saturday’s district finals.
“It stings that we didn’t win today, but what I’m proud of is our body of work. We played a lot of state-ranked teams and the Ws is what’s impressive to me. We didn’t play a weak schedule and we even finished second in the OAA Red. I think the tough schedule prepares us for the end of the season. We may have come up two runs shy today but we battled and played hard in every game and we never gave up.”
Troy pointed to Adams’ four-run outburst in the second inning to being the difference in the closely-contested affair.
“We had one bad inning – that’s about it,” said Troy. “It’s seven innings, 21 outs and we always win as a team and lose as a team. We had more hits than them and about the same amount of baserunners. They just were able to string together a couple more runs. You have to credit Fran and his team. They play hard and he is a very good coach who has been around awhile. He has a solid pitcher and a nice team.”
Adams, the OAA White Division champion, captured league and district titles in the same season for just the third time in the 50 years of the program — the other occurrences coming in 1993 and 1994. The Highlanders never trailed thanks to their four-run outburst in the second off Stoney Creek starter Maddie Laviolette.
Adams loaded the bases with a single and two walks. Stella Phillips knocked in Kitty Nahass with a RBI single, while Ella McDonald followed with a bases-clearing, three-run double to left center for the 4-0 lead.
The Highlanders did not score again until the seventh frame when Sam Blaine laced a triple to deep center and then scored on Phillips’ RBI sacrifice bunt.
“It doesn’t happen that often for us,” admitted Scislowicz. “We’ve had some good teams over the years but some weren’t able to win districts because we faced some really tough teams. There have been years where we were with Lake Orion when they had some great teams, or with Romeo when they had some great teams. There have been years where Troy had some future Division I college pitchers throwing for them and we were in their district and they were really hard to beat. We’ve been in some loaded districts over the years and couldn’t get out of a district even though we were competitive. That’s why its notable that this group of seniors won two districts in four years.”
Neither team received much resistance in the district semifinals with Adams downing the aforementioned Avondale (10-0) in the second semifinal and Stoney Creek eliminated Rochester (8-0) in the opening game,
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