Fenwick softball falters in 2nd inning
Cavaliers score 11 runs with 12 at-bats in span; coaches recognize Falcons' steadfast heart.
PHOTOS: View photos from the game
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
MIDDLETOWN — Fenwick seniors Kristen McLanahan and Andrea Kucek have seen their share of big innings where everything in the Falcons' arsenal just seems to unravel all at the same time.
But those bad moments haven't diminished the desire, shear will and drive of the Fenwick team. There's no quit in this team, despite their
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1-15 overall (1-11 GGCL) record.
"It's been a real struggle this season," McLanahan said, "but with this group of girls, we're all friends. We've grown together and have been able to turn each negative into a positive."
On Monday, that one bad inning happened in the top of the second. That's when visiting Purcell Marian (7-13, 2-10 Girls Greater Cincinnati League) sent 12 batters to the plate, scoring 11 runs in the inning, for an eventual 14-3 run-ruled win.
But the deficit didn't wither the Falcons' effort.
In the fifth, sophomore first-year pitcher Tori Wycoff caught a line drive up the middle, then had the game presence to quickly toss to Laura Hawkins at first to pull off a double play.
Center fielder Annie Cesta later hustled to chase down a grounder, then fired a bullet to Kucek at home plate to prevent a Cavalier runner from scoring from third.
Shortstop Charlotte Delaney then snared a grounder and hit Hawkins' glove with a perfect toss for the third out.
"I know they're having a tough year, but give them credit," Rich Pierson said. He and Herb Riley co-coach the Cavs this season. "They may have been down, but they never give up. There's no quit in that bunch, and that says a lot about their players and their coaching staff."
McLanahan and Kucek were honored by the rest of the Fenwick team during Senior Night festivities after the game. Despite the loss, the group went out of their way to make sure the seniors knew they were appreciated.
"It was a tough regular season, and this was a tough loss, but tonight we had a good ending," said Kucek. "There was that one bad inning again, we always have that one bad inning, it seems. But even after that, we played hard and we stuck together.
"If we'd have played hard throughout the game, like we did in the third, fourth and fifth innings, things would've been different. That's for sure."
Fenwick opens sectional tournament play at 5:30 p.m. May 14 against Waynesville in a game that will be played at Madison High School. Falcon coach Jim Riesenberg says practice starts today for that contest.
"You can bet that we'll still be working hard," he said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2851 or jbombatch@coxohio.com.
