Pause, Pou Pick Up Athlete of the Week Honors

A pair of senior pitchers turned in gems this week to give their teams important wins and earn iBerkshires.com/Southwestern Vermont Health Care Athlete of the Week recognition.

 

The Taconic baseball team needed a big performance on Thursday when it traveled to face arch-rival Pittsfield on the heels of a one-run road loss to Minnechaug the game before.

 

The Thunder sticks did their job, pounding out nine hits and scoring 10 runs over five innings.

 

And Damon Pause did the rest, not allowing a hit and striking out 13 Generals in a 10-0 win shortened by the run-rule.

 

In the process, Pause lowered his earned run average to 2.09 and improved his record to 3-1 on the mound. Through 20 and one third innings, he has struck out 37 hitters while walking just five.

 

Pause also doubled and drove in a pair of runs against Pittsfield. Two days later, he went 2-for-4 with a triple and a double in a 4-2 win at Ware as Taconic improved to 7-2.

 

For the season, he is hitting .320.

 

Taconic has a busy week ahead, hosting West Springfield (6-2) on Monday and traveling to Pope Francis (7-3) on Wednesday before heading to Cooperstown, N.Y., on Thursday morning to face Lenox.

 

No Berkshire County softball team has been hotter than the Pittsfield Generals, and they extended a six-game winning streak on Friday at home against South Hadley.

 

Amanda Pou went the distance in the circle, striking out 10 and allowing just one hit, a two-out single in the top of the second inning.

 

Pou went on to retire the next 16 Tigers in order for the complete-game shutout win in a showdown of two teams ranked in the top 12 in Division 3. In the initial MIAA power rankings released on Friday morning, South Hadley (now 7-2) was ranked 11th in the state, and the Generals (now 8-2) were ranked eighth.

 

Pou is 3-1 in the circle this season with a 1.23 ERA, best on a staff where three pitchers have at least two wins apiece.

 

She also has a .344 batting average, and her 11 RBIs is tied for second on the team.

 

Pittsfield is back at home on Monday for an inter-state game against Mount Anthony Union of Bennington, Vt.. It goes to Easthampton on Wednesday and is home on Friday for a rematch against Minnechaug, a 9-3 winner when the teams met in Wilbraham back on April 6.

 

The iBerkshires.com Athlete of the Week is sponsored by Southwestern Vermont Health Care.