By Mark Ruschau
The Celina Bulldogs softball team started a busy week of action on Tuesday afternoon as they run-ruled the Kenton Wildcats, 10-0, at Bill Feth Diamond at Eastview Park in Western Buckeye League play.
Celina, which will play six games in the next week, moves to 3-0 in the league and to 11-2 overall. Kenton falls to 0-3 and 3-9.
Junior Melanie Heyne was solid on the mound for Celina. Heyne allowed just three hits in pitching the five-inning shutout. Heyne was in command of the strike zone as she walked just two, striking out 10, five of which were called third strikes.
"Melanie is a good pitcher and she is a tough pitcher ," said Celina coach Brian Stetler. "She has been working on her mechanics and she has been coming along and hopefully she will get stronger."
Heyne retired the first nine batters she faced, which included six strikeouts but Heyne had to escape from two jams to preserve the shutout. In the fourth, Sarah Cozad got the first Kenton hit as she led off the inning with a bloop single to the right side of the infield. Teisa Ferrell singled and then both runners moved up a base on a ground ball to the right side.
Heyne got the second out of the inning in an unusual fashion as she uncorked a wild pitch but got the out as catcher Shay Adams got to the wild pitch and made a perfect throw to Heyne at the plate to nail Cozad for the second out. After a walk, Heyne got Corina Keels looking for the third out.
In the fifth, Blake Osborn singled and Ann Derr walked to start the inning. Heyne finished strong as she struck out three in a row to end the threat.
Celina got all the offense it needed as it scored seven over the first three innings, all coming with two outs.
In the first inning, Jamie Siefker walked and Allison Hoying reached on an error before Julie Siefring walked to load the bases. After Adams popped out, Allison Braun drove in the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly.
In the second, Kinsey Schumann singled and with one out, Rachel Swain reached on a fielder's choice. After Schumann made the second out at third on a ground ball by Siefker, Hoying walked to load the bases. Siefring and Adams then connected on back-to-back two-run singles to make the score 5-0.
With one out in the third, Heyne walked and Schumann followed with a double but Heyne was thrown out at the plate for the second out. Kirsten Rose walked and both Rose and Schumann scored when a routine groundball was thrown away at first by Kenton pitcher Alicia Kapanka to make the score 7-0.
"We have the tendency to score runs with two outs, we have good hitters hopefully this will continue," said Stetler.
Celina ended the game scoring three times in the fifth. Heyne and Schumann walked to start the frame. After a sacrifice by Lauren Fuelling, Swain walked to load the bases. Siefker singled to make it 9-0 and Hoying ended the game by drawing an RBI walk.
Celina returns to action on Thursday at Troy and then returns home for a conference game on Friday against Elida. |
