Softball team heads to Atlanta for super regionals

May 22, 2009, 12:00 AM

Except for a trip to the spa the following day for some, the Washington softball team's celebration of Sunday's 15-inning regional championship victory over Massachusetts was brief. The No. 3 Huskies had to work for every bit of the 6-1 win that lasted more than five hours and ended long after 1 a.m. on the East Coast, and they didn't even have a locker room to go back to for celebratory purposes following their triumph at the Amherst Regional. Such is life on the road, but it's not without its perks. "It's actually been pretty nice," said UW head coach Heather Tarr. "We got all day [Monday] to rest. Some of them got massages. We did a little studying. That was good for us to just kind of take a day to not think about anything." But it's on to the next step now for the UW, as Tarr takes her team into the Atlanta Super Regional to face No. 14 Georgia Tech tomorrow in a best-of-three series that will advance the winner to the Women's College World Series. "They're playing well as of late," Tarr said of the Yellow Jackets, who beat Boston last weekend to win the Atlanta Regional. "They are a very scrappy ballclub, and you always give a team extra credit when they get a chance to play at home." The biggest challenge for Washington might simply be recovering mentally from what was a draining weekend in Amherst. UW pitcher Danielle Lawrie, who threw every inning in the regional and threw 251 pitches in the 15-inning win, said she was as drained as she's ever been after a game. "I was kind of a wreck after," Lawrie said. "It was a long day. Both teams had tears in their eyes." She wasn't the only one feeling the heavier burden of postseason play. Tarr put in a pinch-hitter for freshman Kimi Pohlman - UW's second-leading hitter - in the Huskies' 5-1 loss to UMass Sunday, citing what she called a "freshman episode." Bailey Stenson also got the start in left field in the extra-inning win, as Tarr chose to sit Pohlman - who ended up pinch-running in the game before being ejected after a collision at the plate - for just the seventh time this year. Stenson, who was an everyday player last year and one of UW's more reliable hitters, had only 70 at-bats heading into the weekend. She went 0-for-7 in the championship game, but Tarr was still impressed with her plate presence. "Bailey had some competitive at-bats," Tarr said. "In the big scheme of things, she made the pitcher work to strike her out." Stenson said it's been somewhat frustrating to watch from the bench this season, especially after the impact she made last year. But as long as the Huskies keep winning, she said, it makes things a little easier. "It's been tough because we have so many good players," Stenson said. "As far as being on the bench goes, I understand that I can come off the bench and pinch hit [and] do whatever I need to do. I've just had to accept that this year." Note: Each of the UW's games this weekend against Georgia Tech will be televised live on ESPN or ESPN360.com. Reach sports editor Christian Caple at sports@dailyuw.com.

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