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May 12, 2011
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Commentary
Bradley standout loves softball When I was talking with a veteran high school softball coach in central Ohio about Hilliard Bradley’s talented senior, Kellie Roudabush, he told me, “It’s simple, Larry. This girl can flat out hit a softball.” And that is what this Jaguars standout has LARRY been doing all LARSON season. Through 18 games, Roudabush was batting .576 with seven doubles, three triples, four home runs and 20 RBI. She also has been stellar as a pitcher with a 10-2 record and a 1.99 ERA, but it’s her offense that has sparked Bradley to 15 wins in those 18 games. “I work very hard at every aspect of softball, but right now I have more confidence swinging the bat than the other parts of the game,” Roudabush said. “I do teework every day as I constantly try to improve as a hitter, and before we play I take a 10-minute jog and try to visualize what I am going to do at bat against their pitcher. All of that helps me focus on what I want to complete. When I am at bat I clear everything else out of my mind because I want no distractions and, until there are two strikes on me, I look for my pitch. “I guess I would be called a power hitter and I am striving to be a complete hitter, and that means taking what’s given to me and going with the pitch. When I was a freshman, I pulled everything and now, as I have matured, I have learned how to hit the outside pitch and how to hit the outside pitch with power. “I feel like I am a coachable athlete and I have been lucky to have coach (Kevin) Moody with me at both Hilliard Darby and here at Bradley. I have had my summer coaches and my dad work with me and they have been able to change my swing at times, teach me not to hit off my front foot too much, how to use my hips for power in my swing and the importance of following through when you hit. I think I have learned well.” In the circle, Roudabush likes to rely on her full arsenal of pitches. “I have become the type of pitcher who can definitely bring the fastball, but I like to mix up my pitches to keep the opponents off balance,” she said. “I am very confident with my screwball right now and I never want the batters to know what is coming. I am also very confident with my teammates behind me on defense. Practice is definitely paying off with our team and we are learning to pick each other up if a mistake is made. Remember since Bradley is a new school we have only been together for two seasons. But everyone gets along and, even though I had two great years at Darby, I am glad I am here at Bradley because it has allowed me to be a leader on the
By Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek
Nick Zaluski of Canal Winchester delivers a pitch to Logan Elm’s Nate Vagnier during the host Indians’ 11-7 victory April 15. Canal Winchester was 14-10 heading into its first-round Division I district tournament game against Linden-McKinley on May 10.
Canal Winchester Roundup
Softball team wins league title By AARON BLANKENSHIP
At a glance
ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Several members of the Canal Winchester High School softball team began to wonder if the Indians had what it took to put together a winning season, much less challenge for a league championship, after they lost seven of their first 11 games and started off 3-3 in the MSLBuckeye Division. But after coach Randy Hinton made some adjustments to his lineup, his squad bounced back to win 11 of its next 13 games and seven of its final eight MSL-Buckeye contests on the way to capturing its fourth league title in seven seasons. Canal Winchester, Logan Elm and Teays Valley tied atop the MSL-Buckeye standings at 104. The Indians also won league titles in 2005, 2007 and 2009. “This is special because the girls really got down on themselves at one point and I told them they needed to believe in themselves, because I had confidence that we still could have a good season,” Hinton said. “We made some changes to our lineup, and once we started winning, the girls gained more confidence and began to believe they could be a very good team.” After the 4-7 start, the Indians made several defensive adjustments. Angel Steube began starting at third base after missing the first five games because of a suspension and gradually working her way back into the lineup, while Mariah Bonner moved from third base to left field. Mariah Rock moved from second base to right field and Kaleigh Whitlatch moved from right field to second base. Sophomore catcher Alyxis Moore also began calling pitches in place of Hinton, and pitcher Lauren Arndt has responded well to that change. See LARSON, page B2 On May 5, Arndt pitched a
By Andrea Kjerrumgaard/ThisWeek
Emily Wynkoop and the Indians softball team overcame a 4-7 start to win 11 of 13 games and capture their fourth MSL-Buckeye championship in seven seasons.
no-hitter in an 11-0 win over Lancaster in five innings. “We struggled defensively early in the season, but we made some adjustments and those changes have worked out well for our team,” Hinton said. “Lauren’s pitching has gotten stronger, too, since Alyxis began calling pitches.” On May 2, Canal Winchester beat Logan Elm 4-3, aveng-
ing a 12-1 loss to Logan Elm in five innings just six days earlier. Four days after the win over Logan Elm, the Indians routed Amanda-Clearcreek 13-1 in five innings, as Andrea Peer went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, a two-run homer and a double, and Emily Wynkoop hit a two-run homer. “It felt really good to beat
Logan Elm after they run-ruled us the first time around,” Peer said. “We had a phenomenal offensive day against AmandaClearcreek. It feels great to be league champions because a lot of people thought we were going to be a mediocre team and we weren’t sure of how good we could be after we started so slow. But we’ve made some changes and we’ve had a
Below are the recent results and coming schedules for the Canal Winchester baseball and softball teams: BASEBALL *May 2 — Lost to Logan Elm 5-4 *May 4 — Lost to Pickerington North 14-4 in six innings May 6 — Defeated AmandaClearcreek 10-8 May 7 — Def. Mount Vernon 6-5; def. Mount Vernon 6-4 May 10 — Played Linden-McKinley in first round of Division II district tournament. Winner plays at sixthseeded Watterson or Columbus East in second round May 12. Winner plays fourth-seeded DeSales, Hamilton Township or Mifflin in district semifinal May 16 at Hilliard Darby. Winner plays in district final May 18 at Grove City. Of note: The Indians were 14-10 overall before May 10 and finished 10-4 in the MSL-Buckeye. SOFTBALL *May 2 — Def. Logan Elm 4-3 May 5 — Def. Lancaster 11-0 in five innings *May 6 — Def. Amanda-Clearcreek 13-1 in five innings May 7 — Def. Dublin Coffman 106; lost to Liberty Union 1-0 May 9 — Def. Columbus East 190 in five innings in first round of Division II district tournament May 10 — Played Grove City May 11 — Played at Olentangy Orange in second round May 11. Winner plays second-seeded Lakewood, eighth-seeded Centennial or Eastmoor Academy in district semifinal May 16 at Pickerington North. Winner plays in district final May 18 at Pickerington Central. Of note: The Indians were 15-9 overall before May 9 and finished 10-4 in the MSL-Buckeye. *MSL-Buckeye contest
huge turnaround.” The Indians opened Division II district tournament play on May 9 with a 19-0, five-inning win over Columbus East. They played at Olentangy Orange in the second round on May 11, with the winner playing secSee INDIANS, page B2