VAN WERT — Ottoville’s girls fast-pitch softball team has had it share of struggles during 2008 in amassing a 2-9 mark.
Van Wert and Brittany Bolenbaugh didn’t make things any easier on the Lady Green Thursday night at Jubilee Park, handing the Green and Gold a 9-0 loss.
“It’s a continuing struggle for us. It’s hard to work on when you can play up to 27 games in a season as short as softball,” Ottoville coach Joe Modica explained. “There isn’t a lot of practice time in between. All you can do is get as much time in as you can but when you have a lot of youngsters and inexperienced players, the improvement can’t come fast enough.”
Bolenbaugh went the distance for the Lady Cougars (12-7), giving up a mere two hits and fanning eight in her 81-pitch (53 strikes) performance.
However, Van Wert coach Jeff Bolenbaugh wasn’t particularly happy about his team’s play.
“We were flat coming out. That is a concern,” he explained. “We have St. Marys (tonight) and if we don’t come out with more energy and swing the bats better, St. Marys will hand it to us.”
Van Wert did get three runs in the bottom of the first. Wendy Parrish led off with a single into right versus Ottoville starter Sami Modica (2-9; 6 IP, 8 hits, 9 runs, 4 earned, 2 walks, 5 Ks). Morgan Williams sacrificed; an error on the play put runners at second and third. Bolenbaugh’s short infield pop fell for a hit, scoring Parrish and putting runners on the corners. Two outs hence, Carly Brown’s liner to right ended up a 2-run double and a 3-0 spread.
Three more came in in the Cougar second. Kara Thomas walked. An error on a grounder hit by Ashley Harsman left both safe. An out later, a Williams liner to right bad-hopped past Taylor Moore for a 2-run 3-base hit. She scored on a groundout by Bolenbaugh for a 6-0 margin.
The hosts left runners on the corners in the third.
Ottoville got its first hit in the fourth, a 2-out single up the middle by Modica. However, courtesy runner Crystal Shumacher was gunned down trying to steal by Brown.
Van Wert tallied its final three runs in the home half. Parrish led off with a line triple to the fence in left center and scored on a Williams hard-shot liner off shortstop Adria Wannemacher’s glove. She stole second and Bolenbaugh walked. An out later, Laurie Mosier walked to load them up. An out hence, Madison Kohn blooped a double down the right-field line that plated Williams and Bolenbaugh.
“Sami started a bit slow but she settled down. Unfortunately, you get a couple of errors and mistakes and it all falls apart quickly,” coach Modica added. “Again, it’s the same problem as with the hitting; you just don’t get to work on things as you need to. You have to improve on the fly and that’s difficult for a young team.”
Ottoville got its second hit in the five: a solid single to center by Amy Hohlbein with one down. However, she was stranded there.
“Brittany did a nice job; she was efficient. We got some JV players some time, too,” coach Bolenbaugh added. “We’ll throw Morgan tonight against Memorial. She and Brittany are our 1-2 punch and that’s been pretty effective.”
Ottoville hosts Lima Temple Christian at high noon Saturday.