The Berkshire Badgers’ softball team experienced a roller coaster of highs and lows, first beating Streetsboro 10-4 to extend their winning streak to eight games but then had their streak snapped when they lost 5-3 against Warren Howland in a doubleheader of five-inning games last Saturday at Rockets Stadium in Streetsboro.
“They were really strong programs,” said Coach Joe Medlen. “We are just some average ball players, so we need to play as much as possible to get to where we need to be. I was happy with how we competed and how we played.”
Berkshire (10-9, 7-1) began its day with an exciting first inning against the Rockets, as the teams combined to score four runs in the opening frame with Streetsboro mounting a 3-1 advantage, pouncing on some command issues by Berkshire sophomore right-hander Moira Wonders, who issued three walks in the first frame and yielded a three-run double to left field off the bat of junior right-hander Amy Rein.
After Wonders’ challenging first frame, the Badgers’ offense responded by scoring a total of nine runs in the third and fourth inning to seize a firm lead.
In the top of the third, Berkshire hitters combined to record eight hits, including four consecutive hits to open the frame as junior shortstop Whitney Davis smacked a two-run double to center field and junior right fielder Julia Young delivered a go-ahead infield RBI-single to shortstop, pushing Berkshire ahead 4-3.
Junior third baseman LeAnn Baise hit a RBI-single to right field and plated another run as senior center fielder Kate Miller scored from second base on the throw, extending Berkshire’s advantage to 6-3.
Although the Rockets responded by scoring a run in the bottom half of the third, the Badgers’ offense once again erupted in the fourth inning, scoring four runs on five hits, highlighted by a two-run home run to left field by Wonders, increasing Berkshire’s lead to 10-4 by the end of the inning.
After the first inning, Wonders recovered and threw a complete game, surrendering four runs on six hits, three walks and five strikeouts over five innings.
“For a lot of pitchers, that is where they lose it. There was nothing to get excited about,” the second-year coach said of Wonders’ bounce back. “We knew we were close to the zone, and she just had to make small adjustments, and she did a great job doing that. It is going to be a lot of fun watching her continue to grow.”
In the second game, the Badgers’ winning streak was halted by Warren Howland after a late-inning miscue proved costly.
Clinging to a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth frame, Berkshire surrendered the lead when freshman shortstop Makenna Perry ripped a game-tying RBI-double to left field, tying the game at 3-3.
Junior righty Maya Kubancsek advanced Perry to third base on a bunt and also reached base safely, but Berkshire’s defense committed a costly throwing error as the throw to second base to nail Kubancsek sailed into the outfield, scoring both runners, allowing Howland to take a 5-3 advantage.
“We had one out and it would have been two outs because of that girl taking off for second,” noted Medlen. “If you make key throws there, you get both of those and you are out of the inning but instead they got the tying run and the winning run because we threw it away.”
Although the Badgers ended the day with their first loss April 9, they head into the final week of regular season play only two victories away from once again repeating as co-champions of the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division as they are tied for first place with Rootstown.
Should the Badgers win their final two league games, they will earn a piece of the league banner but if Rootstown loses one of its final two games, then the Badgers would be sole CVC Valley Division champions.
According to Medlen, it has been a nice encore for a Badgers’ squad that graduated four seniors from last year’s co-CVC Valley Division championship team.
“Those are very key positions that we lost so that is the thing and everybody else, the five are returnees so we had to backfill, and a couple of girls are learning and honestly we are still learning,” he added.
After a home-and-away series against league foes Crestwood and Kirtland on Monday and Tuesday evening, a crossover league duel against Cuyahoga Heights on Wednesday, Berkshire will conclude its regular season with a home game against Geauga County rival Kenston on Friday evening in Burton at 5 p.m.
