By Steve Siniski
The senior, who normally overpowers hitters when she's on the mound, struck out just two but relied on her defense to handle the pop ups and ground balls. The win moved the Lady Rams back to the .500 mark (2-2) in League II-Conference I play.
"She had her control and she was in control [all game]," Clarke coach Grace Chianese said of Hiltzik.
That Hiltzik leaned on her defense for 19 of the 21 outs and received so much support is a boost for Clarke, because the weather has wreaked havoc on the practice schedule. "The weather has definitely affected our pitchers," Chianese said, noting the strong performance of sophomore Danielle Iovino in her first start. "Both have had their control and done well, but it's a little unnerving without the practices. We have a lot of new players in spots [on defense] that are not used to it. We've done everything we can to practice around the weather."
The experience of Hiltzik and Iovino has been helped by the play of junior Caitlyn Itts behind the plate. With Kaitlyn Billian sidelined, Itts has assumed the full-time role at catcher and helped take some of the pressure off the Lady Rams top arms. Chainese points to Itts' defense as the biggest source of improvement. "She's been tremendous and made a huge improvement [over last season]," Clarke's coach said. "She's a strong leader who's really working hard. She's already thrown out a few baserunners, and runners now know they won't take the base with ease. Caitlyn's becoming more accustomed to calling games and has been one of the bright spots."
When Iovino's not on the mound, she's helping anchor the defense at second base and providing a solid bat in the lineup. Her intelligence at the plate and aggressiveness on the basepaths creates uneasiness among opposing pitchers. Jessie Ford, who had two hits in three at bats against Plainedge and scored a run, as well as junior Pearl Yeung, are also contributing for the Lady Rams.
They've combined with seniors Jamie Schlesinger, Erin Klimkowski and Marissa Geisser to form a deep, potentially explosive lineup.
"Once that point comes [where the team gets rolling], I'm confident not only in their ability but also their leadership," Chianese said. "The girls know what their roles are."
The Lady Rams return to the field after a six-day layoff for league matches with Levittown-Division on April 12 at 4:30 p.m. and on the road at Valley Stream South the following day at 4:15 p.m.
