Staff Report
In high school softball, you’re only as good as the player you have inside the circle. If you don’t have strong pitching, the state playoffs are probably a pipe dream.
Clearview Regional hasn’t had to worry about that the past three seasons because the Pioneers have had Sienna Garrison spinning pitches to the plate. Clearview has a sophomore, Lila Green, waiting to break out on the varsity level [she showed promise this year with a 6-1 record and a 3.05 ERA in 39 innings] and she got a bird’s eye view of what it means to take on the role of starting pitcher and team leader.
She couldn’t have asked for a better mentor, as Garrison was not only one of the top players in the Tri-County Conference, but also one of its fiercest competitors. There were many times when coach Matt Schneider strolled out to the circle knowing that Garrison wasn’t about to come out of the game no matter what he said.
That kind of toughness rubbed off on her teammates, as the Garrison-led Pioneers went 18-9 this year and made it to their second straight sectional championship game before losing 4-2 to Ocean City.
Garrison pitched to a 3.30 ERA in a team-high 93 innings, striking out 71 and allowing just 18 walks. For her career, she posted a 3.82 ERA with 188 strikeouts in 247 innings, and she was just as good as a hitter in the middle of Clearview’s order. This season she hit .349 with 30 hits, 21 runs, nine homers and 43 RBIs. In all, she ripped 12 homers and 13 doubles in her career, and finished with 64 hits, 70 RBIs, 41 runs, 22 walks and a .322 batting average.
She was also a solid volleyball player, finishing her career with 97 kills, 60 digs and 60 assists, as well as 74 service aces, in 96 sets played.
— Staff Writer Dave O’Sullivan
