Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Regional Preview: Hawks to Square off with Chiefs



The Hawks are two wins away from a World Series berth. (Jim Cummins)
PALATINE, Ill. – After winning the sectional title this past weekend in dominating fashion, the Harper College baseball team will be looking to earn its first trip in program history to the NJCAA Division III World Series in Tyler, Texas.

The second-seeded Hawks (19-20) will face off against the top-seeded Waubonsee Chiefs (34-21-1) at Waubonsee in a best-of-three series to determine which team will be representing Region IV in the World Series.

The schedule for the series goes as follows:

Friday 5/17 2:00 PM-Waubonsee vs. Harper 
Saturday 5/18 12:00 PM-Harper vs. Waubonsee
Sunday 5/19 12:00 PM (if necessary)-Waubonsee vs. Harper 

*all games will be played at Waubonsee even though Harper is the home team for the second game

Both teams are swinging hot bats, as the Hawks scored 47 runs in just three games of the Region IV Sectionals and the Chiefs put up 31 in their three games.  In those three games, Harper had an incredible .479 team batting average.

The Hawks swept the regular season series from Waubonsee back on April 30, winning 5-4 and 7-0 on the road behind two great starting pitching efforts from Chris Bobo and Lee Breitzman (Palatine, Ill., Fremd)

Five Hawks Earn All-Conference Honors


Yfantis/Kay/Skinner All Conference Baseball 2013 (second team)
Yfantis, Kay, and Skinner were Second Team All-Conference. (Jim Cummins)
PALATINE, Ill. – While the Harper baseball team is just two wins away from a berth in the NJCAA Division III World Series, five Hawks players were named North Central Community College Conference (N4C) All-Conference selections.

Right-handed pitcher Chris Bobo and catcher Kevin Robinson (Schaumburg, Ill., Conant) were named First Team All-Conference selections.  Shortstop Theo Yfantis (Prospect Heights, Ill., Wheeling) and outfielders Cory Kay (Arlington Heights, Ill., St. Viator) and Andrew Skinner (Lyons, Ill., St. Joseph) earned Second Team All-Conference distinctions.

Bobo is 3-4 with a 2.68 ERA and 32 strikeouts in a team-high 52 2/3 innings. Bobo has already recorded five complete games for Harper. Bobo has also done damage in limited at-bats, hitting .462 (12-for-26) with a home run and five RBIs.

Robinson hit .313 with two home runs and four RBIs in 12 N4C games.  For the year, Robinson is hitting .308 with two homers and 13 RBIs in 30 games.

Yfantis hit .368 with nine RBIs and six stolen bases in conference play.  In the 2013 season, he is hitting .342 with a .438 OBP, 17 RBIs and 12 steals in 36 games.

Kay hit a robust .472 with a .562 OBP, two homers, 11 RBIs, and seven steals in N4C action. Overall, Kay is hitting .366 with a .450 OBP, two homers, 27 RBIs, a team-high 34 runs, 11 doubles, and 12 steals in 37 games.

Skinner hit .306 with two homers and six RBIs in conference play. In 36 games, he is hitting .349 with team highs in homers (3), RBIs (29), and steals (13). 

Nishibun Named Female Athlete of the Year


Womens Soccer: Bree Nishibun 2012
Nishibun was a First-Team All American in the 2012 soccer season. (Jim Cummins)
PALATINE, Ill. – Bree Nishibun came into her second season as an athlete at Harper College with one goal in mind to leave a legacy behind. Her hard work was validated, and the star soccer player, who even gave softball a try this spring, was named the 2012-13 Harper Female Athlete of the Year.

“This award has allowed me to further achieve my goal, and for that I know I will have represented Harper College in the best of ways,” Nishibun said.

Nishibun competed for the Harper women’s soccer team in 2011 and 2012. In 2012, she was named captain of a team that eventually won the Region IV tournament and went on to finish sixth in the nation at the NJCAA DIII Women's Soccer National Championship. She also earned First Team All-American honors for the 2012 soccer season.

“She had an amazing work ethic and a great competitive fire,” said women’s soccer head coach Dwayne Cruz. “She was a great leader, and I would always know that no matter what, Bree came to play her best.”

This spring, she decided to go out for the Hawks softball team, where she patrolled the outfield and played in all but one of the team’s games and had the fifth-most hits on the team. Nishibun credited one-on-one coaching for her improvement in a sport she hadn’t played since her freshman year of high school.

“In a matter of a month-and-a-half, they took a girl who lives, breathes, and eats soccer into a seed spittin’, fly ball catchin’, base stealin’ softball player,” she said.

Academically, Nishibun received the Harper Academic Award and the N4C Academic Award for maintaining a GPA above 3.0 while competing for Harper.

Nishibun has a few soccer scholarship offers lined up right now and is weighing her options. A few  of those opportunities could send her west towards California as she plans to make the most out of her two years remaining years of soccer eligibility. She plans to continue studying physical therapy and possibly athletic training because she enjoys taking care of athletes.

 While her career may be over at Harper, Nishibun acknowledged the lasting impact her experience will have on her.

“The most fun part about playing at Harper was the relationships I built with my coaches, counselors, teammates, and other athletes. It doesn’t matter what sport you play because we (athletes) are all one big family,” she said. “Whether it was hanging out in the training room or working out, there were memories made everywhere and with everyone, and I will never forget that about Harper.” 

Ramirez Selected as Male Athlete of the Year



Men's Track and Field: Pablo Ramirez 2012
Ramirez is a scholarship athlete at Eastern Illinois University.
PALATINE, Ill. – Pablo Ramirez’s accomplishments as a student-athlete on the cross country and track and field teams helped him become a scholarship athlete on the track and field team at Eastern Illinois University. Ramirez can add another award to his collection, as he was named 2012-13 Harper Male Athlete of the Year.

“Pablo is one of the most dedicated athletes I have coached,” said cross country coach Jim Macnider. “His dedication and work ethic made him a special kind of leader.”

Ramirez was named the men’s track athlete of the 2012 NJCAA Division III National Championship meet with two individual national titles in the 5k and 10k and also holds the school record in both events. His time of 15:04.42 in the 5k set a new national championship record.

“He seriously set goals as an athlete and attained them,” said track and field coach Renee Zellner. “He really grew as an athlete.”

He also earned NJCAA Division III All-American honors in the 2011 cross country season by placing fourth in the NJCAA National Championships with a time of 26:02.53. His time helped Harper win its first national championship in cross country.

“Pablo is a very fierce competitor,” Macnider said. “He listens to coaching and uses it along with his great sense of pace to excel in races. I don’t recall ever seeing Pablo run a “bad” race.”

In addition to his excellence as an athlete, Ramirez is the recipient of the Harper Academic Award and the N4C Academic Award for maintaining a GPA above 3.0 while competing for Harper. 

Harper Men Grab Runner-Up at Nationals



Men's track and field nationals Lim
The Hawks scored 126 points in the national meet. (Jim Cummins)
COLUMBIA, Md. – The Harper men’s track and field team finished in second place at the NJCAA Division III National Championships with 126 points, behind only host Howard Community College, who won the meet with 172 points.

The national championship was the first in Howard’s school history in any sport.

“It was quite an emotional ordeal,” Harper head coach Renee Zellner said. “I was thrilled for their team, school, and coaches. We battled until the end, which made it a terrific competition.”

Over the final two days of competition, the Hawks had many contributors across the board in many events. Troy Cunningham (Elk Grove, Ill., Conant) captured his second national title of the meet, winning the 1500m in a PR time of 4:01.73. Teammate Jhoan Lino (León, Guanajuato, Streamwood) placed fifth with a PR time of 4:04.07. Cunningham followed the 1500m effort by earning All-American status in the 800m, placing second in 1:56.44.

Jalen Griffin (Larkin) took fourth place in the 100m with a time of 11.28, and he took seventh in the 200m, crossing the finish line with a time of 22.75. Despite a hamstring strain, Andre Barnes (Mount Prospect, Ill., Prospect) took eighth place in the 400m in a time of 1:22.48.

Colin Weber (Wheeling, Ill., Wheeling) was an All-American in the 5k, placing second in a time of 16:05.46 after winning the 10k in the first day of competition. Nick Modlin(Wheeling, Ill., Wheeling) placed fourth in the same event, crossing the finish line in a PR 16:07.89.

The Hawks scored points in relay events over the weekend. The 4x100m team of Terry Halloran (Palatine, Ill., Palatine)Tom Rohn (Cary)Max Anderson (Cary Grove), and Griffen captured third place in a time of 42.87. The 4x400m relay team of Halloran, Cunningham, Anderson, and Rohn took sixth in a time of 3:25.81.

Jacob Szramek (McHenry, Ill., Johnsburg) placed fourth in the steeple chase with a PR time of 10:25.12. Daniel Lim (Schaumburg, Ill., Streamwood) finished seventh in the 110m hurdles in a time of 16.47.

In the field events, Isaac Jean-Paul (Gurnee, Ill., Warren Township) earned All-American status with a second place finish in the high jump as he jumped 1.98m. Erik Porter(Lake Zurich, Ill., Lake Zurich) added to the team total in the same event, placing sixth with a jump of 1.88m. Porter also scored points in the javelin, placing sixth with a PR throw of 49.52m.

Danny Lowry (Arlington Heights, Ill., Rolling Meadows) placed sixth in discus with a throw of 39.95m, while teammate Luciano Laterza (Arlington Heights, Ill., Rolling Meadows)took eighth with a throw of 39.51m. Juan Montano (Schaumburg) finished in seventh place in the shot put with a toss of 13.64m. 

Hawks Claim Sectional Title With Impressive Offensive Display



Andrew Skinner 1
Skinner went 9-for-12 with 10 RBIs in three games. (Jim Cummins)
JOLIET, Ill. – The Harper baseball team rolled through the Region IV Sectionals in Joliet this past weekend, amassing 47 runs in three games en route to a sectional title. The Hawks used an 11-run first inning to defeat Rock Valley College 17-9 in the championship game Sunday and complete a perfect 3-0 record in the sectional.

Harper (19-20) will move on to face top-seeded Waubonsee Community College in the Region IV Regionals beginning at 2:00 PM on Friday, May 17. The winner of the best-of-three series earns a berth to the NJCAA Division III Baseball World Series held in Tyler, Texas.

The Hawks totaled 19 hits on Sunday on their way to victory. Andrew Skinner (Lyons, Ill., St. Joseph) was an impressive 4-for-7 with five RBIs in the weekend’s first two games, but he improved upon that in the title game with an incredible performance. The right fielder went 5-for-5 with a double, two triples, five RBIs and two runs scored.

Harper made two quick outs in the bottom of the first inning, but they recorded 11 runs on 10 hits after two outs to take an early 11-0 lead. The Golden Eagles cut the deficit to 11-9, aided by a six-run fifth inning and two-run sixth inning, but the Hawks put the game away with two runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth inning. Chris Bobo pitched six innings for the win, while Steven Yfantis (Prospect Heights, Ill., Wheeling) pitched three scoreless innings and picked up the save.

On Saturday, the Hawks defeated Joliet Junior College 15-5 and Rock Valley 15-5 to set up the championship game with Rock Valley.

Despite going 0-3 against JJC in the regular season, Harper put on an impressive showing and needed only five innings for the victory. Leadoff man Theo Yfantis (Prospect Heights, Ill., Wheeling) went 3-for-3 with four runs and two RBIs for the Hawks, while Cory Kay (Arlington Heights, Ill., St. Viator) went 2-for-3 with three RBIs in the win. Bobo went 1-for-2 and connected on a two-run homer in the third inning to put Harper ahead 7-4. Lee Breitzman (Palatine, Ill., Fremd) picked up the win on the mound, giving up five runs and striking out six in five innings of work.

In the second game on Saturday afternoon, the Hawks pounded out 15 more hits and won 15-5 in six innings. Yfantis once again went 3-for-3, and third baseman Kurt Becker(Palatine, Ill., Palatine) went 3-for-3 with four RBIs for Harper. Skinner went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and was one of six Hawks hitters who recorded multiple-RBI games. Mike Sampson (Mount Prospect, Ill., Prospect) allowed four earned runs in six innings to earn the victory. 

Harper Women Finish Tied-Seventh at Nationals



Women's Track action shot use for nationals
The Harper women scored 46 points in the national meet. (Jim Cummins)
COLUMBIA, Md. – The Harper women’s track and field team finished in a tie for seventh place with Union Community College at the NJCAA Division III National Championships at Howard Community College with a team total of 46 points.

Gloucester Community College captured the team title with 136.5 points.

In the final two days of competition, the Hawks had many contributors across the board who scored important points for the team. Jordan Wagner (Schaumburg, Ill., Schaumburg) was the national champion in the 800m with a time of 2:24.64, her second national title of the meet.

Kalia Privatsky (Barrington) took third place in the 5k with a PR time of 19:31.47, a 30 second improvement over her previous best time. Privatsky also captured fifth place in the 1500m with a time of 5:13.16, another PR.Stephanie Chaires (Christian Liberty) finished in fourth place in the 1500m with a PR time of 5:08.87.

The 4x400m relay team of Chaires, Stephanie Hurwitz (Fremd)Marisa Andreuccetti (Elk Grove Village, Ill., Conant), and Wagner took fifth place with a PR of 4:15.83. The 4x100m group of Hurwitz, Beatriz Kiene (South Elgin, Ill., South Elgin)Lara Sladek (St. Viator), and Wagner finished in seventh place with a PR of 52.66.

In the field events, Ashley Alicea (Lake in the Hills, Ill., Huntley) placed sixth in javelin with a PR throw of 29.19m. Sladek took seventh in the hammer throw with a toss of 31.71m. 

Day 1: Women Win Relay Title, Stand in Fifth



Women's track and field pic nationals Day 1
The Hawks stand in fifth place after the first day of competition. (Jim Cummins)
COLUMBIA, Md. – The Harper women’s track and field team captured the 3200m relay title and stands in fifth place after the first day of competition at the NJCAA Division III National Championships at Howard Community College.

The 3200m relay team of Kalia Privatsky (Barrington)Stephanie Chaires (Christian Liberty)Marisa Andreuccetti(Elk Grove Village, Ill., Conant), and Jordan Wagner (Schaumburg, Ill., Schaumburg) won the title in 10:00.30. The 400m relay team qualified for Saturday’s finals.

The women continue competition Friday with many preliminaries, which will be a big determinant in who can score points for the rest of the competition. 

Day 1: Hawk Men Win Three Titles and Hold Slim Lead


Max Anderson
Anderson was a part of the 3200m relay team that took first place. (Jim Cummins)
COLUMBIA, Md. – The Harper men’s track and field team got off to a good start at the NJCAA Division III National Championships at Howard Community College, winning three titles and holding the top spot as a team after day one.

In team competition, Harper is currently in first place by a slim margin over host Howard. Friday preliminaries will be a big factor into who can score points for the team Saturday.

The 3200m relay team of Troy Cunningham (Elk Grove, Ill., Conant)Max Anderson (Cary Grove)Jhoan Lino(León, Guanajuato, Streamwood), and Andre Barnes (Mount Prospect, Ill., Prospect) took first place in a time 7:57.50.

Danny Lowry (Arlington Heights, Ill., Rolling Meadows) won the national title in the hammer throw with a throw of 49.84m. Lowry’s teammates Luciano Laterza (Arlington Heights, Ill., Rolling Meadows) and Juan Montano(Schaumburg) placed fifth and seventh in the event with throws of 44.12m and 40.28m, respectively.

Colin Weber (Wheeling, Ill., Wheeling) earned the team big points by taking first in the 10k with a time of 34:03.68, while Nick Modlin (Wheeling, Ill., Wheeling) took fourth with a time of 34:59.07. Jacob Szramek (McHenry, Ill., Johnsburg) placed third in the pole vault after clearing 4.18m. Finally, the men’s 400m relay team qualified for the finals to be held on Saturday. 

Baseball Signs Antioch HS Pitcher Rzewnicki


Harper signee
PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College baseball program is pleased to announce the signing of Antioch High School senior pitcher Dave Rzewnicki. Rzewnicki recently met with head coach Cliff Brown to finalize his commitment.

According to Hawks pitching coach Dan Grybash, Rzewnicki, a right-hander, can command three pitches including a good sinking fastball with above average velocity, a curveball with great depth up and down, and also a changeup. Rzewnicki will be competing for a spot in Harper’s starting rotation next year.

“We are excited about Dave committing to our program and cannot wait to get him here in the fall to begin his development,” Grybash said.

Hawks Draw Two Seed in Region IV Sectional Tournament



Kurt Becker 1
After a slow start, the Hawks are 12-8 in their last 20 games. (Jim Cummins)
PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper baseball team drew the second seed for the six-team Region IV Sectional Tournament to be held Saturday, May 11 at two separate locations.

The seeding for the sectional goes as follows:

#1-Waubonsee Community College
#2-Harper College
#3-Joliet Junior College
#4-College of DuPage
#5-Milwaukee Area Technical College
#6-Rock Valley College

As the No. 2 seed, the Hawks (16-20) were scheduled to host part of the sectional but will be unable to due to field renovations. The team will travel to Joliet, where they will be the home team in a round-robin format tournament with Joliet and Rock Valley. The game schedule goes as follows:

Saturday 5/11 10:00 AM-Joliet vs. Rock Valley
Saturday 5/11 1:00 PM-Harper vs. Joliet
Saturday 5/11 4:00 PM-Harper vs. Rock Valley

*all games will be nine innings

The winner of the round-robin will move on to the Region IV Regional Tournament next weekend to play a best-of-three series against the winner of the other sectional featuring Waubonsee, College of DuPage, and Milwaukee. The winner of the regional earns a berth to the NJCAA Division III Baseball World Series held in Tyler, Texas.

Harper head coach Cliff Brown is proud of how his team has come together over the last few weeks and thinks his players are really starting to play for each other. Brown believes that if his team gets consistent starting pitching and catches the ball this weekend, chances are good the Hawks will win the sectional and move on to the regional.

“The confidence with this team is where it needs to be, it’s just about execution and making the routine plays,” Brown said. 

Harper Track and Field Heads to Nationals


Harper track and field nationals preview 2
The men are looking for their sixth title in the last seven years. (Jim Cummins)
Live Results
Howard CC Official Website

COLUMBIA, Md. – 
Looking to bring back more hardware for an already illustrious program, the Harper College track and field teams departed this morning for the NJCAA Division III National Championships. The championships, which are hosted by Howard Community College, begin Thursday and run through Saturday.

On the men’s side, Harper will be seeking its third consecutive national championship and sixth in seven years. The men come into this year’s event ranked No. 2 in the national poll, behind only host Howard CC.

“Howard CC is the team to beat, and they are loaded with talent and depth,” head coach Renee Zellner said. “We will be prepared and just hope for no injuries.”

Andre Barnes (Mount Prospect, Ill., Prospect), a 400m All-American in 2012, feels the team’s biggest strength is a very competitive nature. Last year’s 800m champion Troy Cunningham (Elk Grove, Ill., Conant) agreed with Barnes and likes the team’s chances to emerge on top.

“If we do everything the way we did this year, we have a good chance to come out on top,” Cunningham said.

Luciano Laterza (Arlington Heights, Ill., Rolling Meadows), who will be throwing in the discus and hammer events, and Danny Lowry (Arlington Heights, Ill., Rolling Meadows), who is representing the team in discus, shot put, and hammer, both credit Zellner for their improved technique this season.

“Coach taught us a lot, and our technique is by far the best it’s been. Last year, our technique was sloppy,” Laterza said. “There’s tough competition, but we’re right there with them.”

Last year’s high jump champion Isaac Jean-Paul (Gurnee, Ill., Warren Township) is most looking forward to competing and having fun enjoying a chance at another national championship. He acknowledged that he and his teammates have dealt with injuries throughout the year, but they will be ready once the competition starts.

On the women’s side, Jordan Wagner (Schaumburg, Ill., Schaumburg) leads a strong group ranked No. 7 in the national poll and poised for another high finish at nationals after taking ninth place last year. In 2011, the Hawks captured the national championship, Harper’s only national championship in a women’s sport.

Wagner is currently ranked first in the 800m and feels prepared for nationals because she also went to cross country nationals, where she placed fifth and earned First Team All-America honors.

“I like how close and supportive we are as a team,” Wagner said. “These past two weeks, we’ve really stepped it up and are looking forward to continuing it at nationals.”

The teams practice on Wednesday before starting competition on Thursday. 

Harper Splits Doubleheader with Milwaukee




The Hawks won the first game before dropping the second game. (Jim Cummins)
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Harper Hawks took care of business in the first game of a doubleheader against Milwaukee Area Technical College Saturday before their win streak came to a halt with a second game defeat.

Harper (16-18) took game one 6-2 with strong hitting at the top of the order and an excellent relief effort by Mike Sampson (Mount Prospect, Ill., Prospect). Harper’s top four batters in the lineup went a combined 5-for-13 with five RBIs, with Andrew Skinner (Lyons, Ill., St. Joseph) leading the way by going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Hawks starting pitcher Chris Bobo lasted just two innings, but Sampson came in relief and threw five scoreless innings with five strikeouts to pick up the win.

The Hawks trailed 2-1 into the fifth inning, but they went ahead with back-to-back two-out RBI doubles by Kurt Becker (Palatine, Ill., Palatine) and Cory Kay (Arlington Heights, Ill., St. Viator). Harper tacked on three more runs in the sixth inning, and Sampson pitched a scoreless seventh inning to give the Hawks their fourth consecutive victory.

Harper committed four errors in game two and fell 8-4. The Hawks plated three runs in the second inning to take an early lead, but the Stormers tied the game up with a run in the second inning and two runs in the third inning. The Hawks briefly regained the lead in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Theo Yfantis (Prospect Heights, Ill., Wheeling), but the Stormers scored once in the fourth, once in the fifth, and three times in the sixth to take control of the game.

Steven Yfantis (Prospect Heights, Ill., Wheeling) took the loss on the mound, going 5 1/3 innings and allowed five earned runs on twelve hits. MATC pitcher Randall Meyer earned the win, giving up just one run over 5 2/3 innings of relief. 

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Hawks Earn Big Road Sweep at Waubonsee

5/1/2013 1:49:00 PM

Box Score 1 SUGAR GROVE, Ill. – The Harper bats stayed hot, and two great pitching efforts propelled the Hawks baseball team to a doubleheader sweep of Waubonsee on Tuesday afternoon.

In game one, the Hawks (14-17) won 5-4 in eight innings as Chris Bobo went the distance to earn the victory on the mound. He allowed just two earned runs and struck out seven Chiefs batters.

The Hawks used a three-run second inning, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of Theo Yfantis (Prospect Heights, Ill., Wheeling), to take a 3-1 lead. The Chiefs responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-3 lead.  Harper’s Chris Elliot (Hoffman Estates, Ill., Richards) nodded the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth with a two-out RBI double.

Bobo held Waubonsee hitless over the final three frames, and the Hawks scored in the top of the eighth on a Chiefs fielding error.

In the second game of the day, Lee Breitzman (Palatine, Ill., Fremd)  threw a complete game shutout to lift the Hawks to a 7-0 victory. Breitzman only surrendered four hits and did not walk a batter while striking out three.

Kurt Becker (Palatine, Ill., Palatine) provided the pop, going 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs. His two-run single in the sixth inning extended the lead to 5-0. 

Keegan's Big Day Not Enough as Hawks Drop Series to Madison

5/1/2013 11:31:00 AM

MADISON, Wis. – Despite a big day at the dish from Kaitlyn Keegan (Elk Grove, Ill., Elk Grove), who finished 4-for-6 on the afternoon, the Harper softball team lost 10-3 and 13-1 to the Madison College WolfPack at Madison on Tuesday.

In game one, Marissa Shaner got the win for the WolfPack. She allowed three runs over seven innings. She struck out 13 while yielding nine hits and one walk.
Madison College’s Michelle Farino, Andrea Lawrence, and Jordan Bell combined for five hits and eight RBIs.

Harper jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Keegan singled to ignite the Hawks’ offense and was knocked in on an RBI groundout by Jazlynn Skor (Barrington, Ill., Barrington). Keegan went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the game.

Harper scored once in the third inning, and then followed it up with one more in the fourth. In the third, the Hawks scored on a solo home run by Amanda Forssander (Mount Prospect, Ill., Prospect).

It didn't take long for Madison to answer as it scored three runs of its own in the third. They scored on a fielder's choice and a two-run single by Bell.

Madison didn't relinquish the lead after scoring two runs in the fourth inning when it scored on a groundout by Heather Edgren  and an RBI single by Lawrence.
The WolfPack piled on five more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Madison Millsap singled, scoring McKenKie Endres to start the inning. That was followed up by Farino's double, scoring Brianna Wagner, Milsap and Lawrence.

In game two, the Hawks managed just three hits and lost 13-1 in five innings.

Madison’s Paige Weber got it done on the rubber on the way to a win. She allowed one run over five innings. She struck out five, walked three and surrendered three hits.

The WolfPack’s Bell, Marissa Shaner, and Megan Hanke combined for five hits and six RBIs.

The lone run of the game for Harper crossed the plate in the second inning on an RBI single by Keegan, who went 1-for-2.

The losses bring the Hawks’ season to a close, as they finished the year with a 4-20 record. 

New Job

I am blessed to have finally found a job that suits me. After spending the summer of 2012 as a media relations intern for the Rockford RiverHawks, I returned home and had a very difficult time pinpointing exactly what I wanted to do and if I had the abilities to land a job that I would enjoy. I gained valuable experience as an intern for Bleacher Report, but I was burnt out and really wasn't optimistic about my job prospects.

I applied many places and never heard back. I did interviews for jobs that didn't really seem to suit me but I thought I'd do it to gain experience. Finally, after searching with no luck, I got a message from a friend who worked over at Harper College in the sports department. He told me he was leaving Harper for a full-time position as a sports reporter in Kentucky and thought I would be good for the position he was leaving.

I interviewed, applied, and I was hired to be the Sports Communication Assistant at Harper College. I have been working for two weeks at Harper and can already tell this job is perfect for me. I write stories and do all things media-related for the sports program. This job is particularly well-suited for me because I attended Harper for two years and played on the baseball team. I understand the scope of the athletic program and what it's like to be a young student-athlete who is looking to do well in a sport and move on while balancing a new life of independence.

I couldn't be happier to be in this position right now. Much of Smitty's Sports Blog will be a collection of my work for the college. I've realized just how difficult it is to find time for writing about my favorite teams, but I still intend to do so as often as I can. My return to the blogging world took a little bit longer than expected, but it's good to be back!