Incirlik first baseman Kathryn Culver tags Dinayda Garcia of Sigonella during the second day of action in the DODDS-Europe softball tournament Friday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Incirlik won 18-2. (David Hodge/Stars and Stripes)
Incirlik first baseman Kathryn Culver tags Dinayda Garcia of Sigonella during the second day of action in the DODDS-Europe softball tournament Friday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Incirlik won 18-2. (David Hodge/Stars and Stripes)
Rota shortstop Katlyn Eastin tags Bamberg's Aisha Schenk out at second base while Anastasia Bienvenue provides backup, Friday, during the second day of action in the DODDS-Europe softball championship from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Rota won 16-12. (David Hodge/Stars and Stripes)
Alconbury's Caitlin Cash watches the ball moments before sending it to the outfield during a game against Incirlik early Friday morning during the second day of action in the DODDS-Europe softball championship from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The Dragons won 13-7 to move to 2-0 in the tournament. (David Hodge/Stars and Stripes)
Sigonella's Tenia Strobridge tries to throw a runner out at first base during a game against Incirlik during the second day of action in the DODDS-Europe softball championship from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. (David Hodge/Stars and Stripes)
Incirlik pitcher Megan Morales fields a bunt as her teammate, Danaisha Tate, runs to cover third base ahead of Sigonella base runner Kiana Jones during the second day of action in the DODDS-Europe softball championship from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Incirlik won 18-2. (David Hodge/Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern's Lauren Hawkins sends the ball toward home plate during a 12-3 losing effort against Vilseck in DODDS-Europe Division I play Friday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The loss was the first for the Red Raiders on the season. (David Hodge/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Savannah Brooks slides safely into home plate as Patch's Mikala Cunningham can't handle the toss from the catcher during the second day of action in the DODDS-Europe softball championship from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Ramstein won 13-7. (David Hodge/Stars and Stripes)
Patch's Caitlyn Steffen fields a ground ball while teammate Jessie Rahn watches the play during a Division I semifinal game from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Patch faced Vilseck and lost 18-0. (David Hodge/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Kelsey Freeman sends a fastball towards home plate during a 2-1 victory over Kaiserslautern in the Division-I semifinal Friday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. (David Hodge/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Savannah Brooks lays down a bunt in Friday's Division-I sem-final against Kaiserslautern. Ramstein won 2-1. (David Hodge/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Anna-Claire Cabiness catches an infield pop-fly during a close game against cross-town rival Kaiserslautern on Friday during DODDS-Europe Division I softball play at Ramstein Air Base. The Royals won 2-1. (David Hodge/Stars and Stripes)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE – First they beat the unbeaten, then they smoked the reigning champs.
Now Vilseck is a win away from its first high school softball championship, needing to best home team Ramstein on Saturday. That’s a considerable challenge, considering the pair of aces the Royals bring to the mound in Kelsey Freeman and Katherine Enyeart.
Coach Jim Hall isn’t deterred — he’ll counter with senior pitchers Taylor Hall and Deraj’ McClinton, both of whom dominated on Friday.
“I’ll take my aces against their aces anytime,” Hall said.
Vilseck needed three innings in Friday’s semifinal to defeat Patch by mercy rule, 18-0. Ramstein edged Kaiserslautern in a seven-inning pitchers’ duel, 2-1, with Freeman striking out 10 and Enyeart crossing the plate in the 4th as the deciding run.
“This is honestly one of the best games we’ve ever played,” said the junior Freeman, who enters the finals with a perfect game and two home runs during the tourney.
The finals trip is Ramstein’s tenth in the 13 years of the European championship.
Defending champs Patch go home disappointed, as do the Kaiserslautern Red Raiders, who rode the dominant pitching of Lauren Hawkins to an undefeated regular season. Hawkins lost the two games she started on Friday.
Patch missed its own dominant pitcher, Amber Marvin, out with an inflamed pitching shoulder. The Panthers’ semifinal performance against Vilseck was marked by multiple mistakes and few answers against Hall.
“I saw a ton of errors,” coach Brian Tingey said. “We weren’t hitting the ball. Vilseck played awesome.”
In other tournament play, Saturday’s Division II semifinal matches are set, with Naples set to meet Ansbach and AFNORTH facing Vicenza. Both Naples and AFNORTH enter with perfect 4-0 records for the tourney. Vicenza has fared well, at 3-1, under the pitching of freshman Megan Buffington, and Ansbach emerges from the pack of 2-2 teams with the better run differential over Schweinfurt and Aviano.
In Division III, perfect Alconbury will meet 3-1 Rota in Saturday’s final.
Dragons coach Duke Eidt said the small school, based in England and without a regular season, has discovered its talents on the field.
“This is good stuff right here,” Eidt said. “This is what a real softball season in the States is for us.”
The Division I championship game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. The D-III teams will meet at 11:30 a.m., and the Division II finals are slated for 3:30 p.m., following a pair of 9 a.m. semifinal matches.
Stars and Stripes reporter David Hodge contributed to this report.
