2008 Woodie Awards
Season finale on the horizon
Aaron Blatch, Sports Reporter
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Sports
An up-and-down season for the Youngstown State softball team continued Tuesday with the Penguins dropping both games of a doubleheader to Pittsburgh, 11-3 and 8-2, a day where pitcher Cheryl Cale said that her team came out "flat." The disappointing performance came after a competitive series against Horizon League contender Valparaiso that left the Penguins feeling good about their effort.
Cale said that the team's inconsistent play has been frustrating because its offense and defense can't seem to perform well at the same time.
"We've talked about it a lot," she said. "There have only been a few games when we've put both sides of the game together, but when we do we usually win."
Pitching was the biggest culprit on Tuesday, as the Penguin starters gave up 15 earned runs in the two games. The team's offense has slowly been coming around as of late, scoring 33 runs in the last 7 games after averaging just 3 runs per game prior to that stretch. Cale said that the improved production has largely been the result of the offense making more productive outs and learning how to move runners.
Leading the offense is senior slugger McKenzie Bedra, who has recovered from a slow start to her season to put up all-league numbers. Bedra, along with teammate Rochelle Vanyi, has set a single-season Penguin record with 11 home runs and has upped her batting average to a team-best of .347. That kind of play earned her Horizon League Softball Player of the Week honors last week.
The senior's fingerprints are all over nearly every big inning, as she has come through in big spots this year. Bedra's 32 RBIs nearly double the total of any other Penguin. Cale said that Bedra fought through her early-season slump with hard work and confidence in herself.
"She's really comfortable right now," Cale said. "She's seeing the ball and getting comfortable in the box. She worked hard when she was struggling and kept her head up."
The team has one more regular season series, this weekend's match-up at Green Bay, before league tournament play begins. Green Bay is coming off of two consecutive wins over Butler, their only two league victories of the season, but had previously lost 12 straight games. The Phoenix are in last place in the league standings and have the worst offense in the conference, hitting just .234 as a team with only 3 home runs.
Cale said that the team's inconsistent play has been frustrating because its offense and defense can't seem to perform well at the same time.
"We've talked about it a lot," she said. "There have only been a few games when we've put both sides of the game together, but when we do we usually win."
Pitching was the biggest culprit on Tuesday, as the Penguin starters gave up 15 earned runs in the two games. The team's offense has slowly been coming around as of late, scoring 33 runs in the last 7 games after averaging just 3 runs per game prior to that stretch. Cale said that the improved production has largely been the result of the offense making more productive outs and learning how to move runners.
Leading the offense is senior slugger McKenzie Bedra, who has recovered from a slow start to her season to put up all-league numbers. Bedra, along with teammate Rochelle Vanyi, has set a single-season Penguin record with 11 home runs and has upped her batting average to a team-best of .347. That kind of play earned her Horizon League Softball Player of the Week honors last week.
The senior's fingerprints are all over nearly every big inning, as she has come through in big spots this year. Bedra's 32 RBIs nearly double the total of any other Penguin. Cale said that Bedra fought through her early-season slump with hard work and confidence in herself.
"She's really comfortable right now," Cale said. "She's seeing the ball and getting comfortable in the box. She worked hard when she was struggling and kept her head up."
The team has one more regular season series, this weekend's match-up at Green Bay, before league tournament play begins. Green Bay is coming off of two consecutive wins over Butler, their only two league victories of the season, but had previously lost 12 straight games. The Phoenix are in last place in the league standings and have the worst offense in the conference, hitting just .234 as a team with only 3 home runs.
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