North Star’s Ciran shuts down Elgin hitters

Updated: May 4, 2011 5:16PM

No one has been able to solve St. Charles North pitcher Amanda Ciran this season.

Even with flame-throwing lefty Hannah Perryman pitching, Elgin couldn’t be the first Monday in Upstate Eight Conference River Division play. Ciran mixed up her pitches to perfection and fired a two-hitter in a 6-2 St. Charles North victory.

“There were a lot of things that were working for me, especially my changeup” said Ciran, who struck out 11, walked three, and improved to 12-0. “That’s my go-to pitch. I like playing around with the batters with that pitch.”

Elgin (14-9, 3-6) actually led 1-0 in the second after Jaclyn Navarro reached on an error, then came around all the way from first when Monica Stockman hit a high-chop single over first and right fielder Ashley Seering let the rolling ball get past her for an error. Then Stars coach Tom Poulin had some words for his team and the offense “Russelled” up a victory for their dominant pitcher, so to speak — Sydney and Taylor Russell each drove in three runs.

“We just needed to wake up,” Poulin said. “We’ve been starting games slowly as of late. We need to realize you just don’t show up and we’ll get a win.

“We’re going to see their No. 1 pitcher, we’re going to get the best focus at the plate by the opponent.

“It’s a big game for everybody to come out and beat us and they need to realize that and not take things for granted.”

The Stars (16-1, 10-0) had left three on in the first when Perryman walked the bases loaded but struck out the side. They got a leadoff walk in the second and left the runner on base. But in the third, after Poulin’s talk, Loren Cihlar reached on a swinging bunt single and Taylor Russell launched a line drive over the fence in center for her third home run of the season.

“She’s starting to swing the bat,” Poulin said. “She wasn’t struggling, but she’s picking it up and starting to get hot. And that’s a good thing for us.”

The Stars got to Perryman for 12 hits, all from the third inning on, and added two in the fourth on Emily Watts’ leadoff triple, a safety squeeze RBI bunt single by Sydney Russell and Taylor Russell’s RBI single. Taylor Russell’s RBI single drove in a run because Loren Cihlar had beat out a bunt and went directly to second when she noticed no one covering it for Elgin.

The Maroons got back a run in the fourth after Perryman hit a hot shot off Ciran’s arm for a single and eventually came around thanks to passed balls. However, Elgin wouldn’t score again and Sydney Russell’s sacrifice fly in the sixth and her RBI single in the seventh finished the scoring.

The hot shot that struck Ciran caused her teammates to rush to her aid, but she was fine.

“I’m happy I didn’t tear up,” she said. “I took it like a man.”

The Maroons used it as a measuring stick of sorts, and couldn’t come away unhappy after staying within two runs until the sixth.

“Up and down that lineup, that’s a college lineup right there,” coach Chad Dahlman said. “Any time you hold a lineup like that to six runs, you’ve got to be fairly happy.”

Perryman, whose record is 7-3, struck out 11, walked five and hit a batter. Cihlar had three hits off her and the Russells two each.

“She (Perryman) was as good a pitcher as we’ve seen this year,” Poulin said.

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