Lady Redskins nab NLC win

By STU SWARTZ
Goshen News Sports Editor

April 25, 2008 11:04 pm

— The Goshen High School girls softball team nabbed its first Northern Lakes Conference victory of the 2008 season on a windy Friday at Shanklin Park.
The Lady Redskins scored early, then held on at the finish for a 6-5 victory over the Wawasee Lady Warriors.
A key play for Goshen was a seventh-inning double play turned from junior second baseman Britta Abney to junior shortstop Emily Kerns to junior first baseman Allie Smith.
Still learning on the job, promising Redskin freshman pitcher Natalie Newell scattered 11 Wawasee hits. More importantly, she did not walk a single batter while striking out 10.
GHS coach Lee Mast said, “Our girls are finally learning to relax up at the plate. They have been so tight in previous games. They were making good contact on outside pitches.
“We jumped out ahead early for once, then had a little lull and were able to hold on at the end with some outstanding defense.
“That double play was huge because Wawasee had its good hitters coming up. Abney and Kerns have been solid up the middle for us.
“Natalie Newell is not overpowering quite yet at the varsity level, but she keeps the ball in the zone. That makes playing defense behind her even more important.”
The Redskins jumped ahead in the bottom of the first as Abney singled, Newell ripped a run-scoring double down the left field line and sophomore Katelynn Flory an RBI double to center.
Wawasee freshman Jonna Wiggs tripled in the second and scored on a grounder by junior Ashley Sharp. Senior Angie Beer doubled in the fourth and tallied the tying run on a single by freshman Shelby Newhard.
Goshen tallied four times in the bottom of the fifth, triggered by singles from Kerns and Newell.
Freshman Kaitlyn Troyer ripped a drive off a leg of Wawasee’s third baseman for an RBI single, Flory slapped an RBI single and senior Amy VanderMolen drove in a run with a grounder.
Wawasee made it close again with three runs in the top of the sixth.
Beer singled and Wiggs doubled to start the frame. Sharp slapped an RBI grounder, Newhard an RBI single and freshman Aubrey Mroz a run-scoring double.
Newell, Flory and junior Laura Gladfelter each had two hits for Goshen; Abney, Kerns, Troyer and VanderMolen one each. Wiggs had three, Beer and Newhard both two to lead Wawasee.
Goshen, 3-8 overall and 1-5 in the NLC, plays two games today in the Elkhart Christian Classic, then hosts NorthWood at 5 p.m. Monday.
Wawasee, 7-8 and 1-5, entertains Concord on Monday.
Junior Varsity
Goshen’s JV rolled to an 11-1 victory over Wawasee at Shanklin.
Katie Mast was the winning pitcher with five strikeouts. Jennifer Finney singled and tripled and Hillary Bledsoe singled twice. Amber Stevenson, Madison Hussey, Brooke Walter and Mast also hit safely.
Angelica Rice and Angie Bartman singled for WHS.