BLOOMSBURG, PA (April 23, 2010) – The Kutztown University softball team has specialized this season in winning close games, dilly-dallying with the cardiovascular system and adding a few additional gray hairs to its spectators and coaching staff during this enchanted season.
Friday's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) first round playoff game against Edinboro was no different. The cardiac Golden Bears stayed true to form and pulled out another win to cherish.
After Edinboro's Aimee Sisson tied the contest with two-out home run in the top of the seventh inning, Kutztown's Krista Tedjeske slammed a game-winning solo home run leading off the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Golden Bears to an exhilarating 4-3 victory in extra innings. (BOXSCORE)
Tedjeske's shot on the second pitch she saw of her at-bat sailed over the left field fence. As the ball landed beyond the fence, the Golden Bears sprinted out of the dugout like Usain Bolt and eagerly awaited Tedjeske's arrival. Once a smiling Tedjeske touched home plate, she disappeared under a mass of jubilant white-shirted Golden Bears.
“That was a great feeling,” Tedjeske said of being greeted at home by her teammates. “When the ball went out, my first thought was 'did I really do that'. I wasn't trying to hit a home run, I just wanted to get on base and start a rally.”
Kutztown coaches Judy Lawes, Reds Moser and Don Justus sensed that Tedjeske could end the game with one swift swing. The first pitch Tedjeske saw of the at-bat, she just got a piece of the ball and fouled it back. After hearing some encouragement from the coaches and seeing the same pitch, Tedjeske steadied herself and then whacked the ball. Surprisingly, it was Tedjeske's first career walk-off home run in her life.
However, Tedjeske's biggest contribution was being able to step in and play a steady second base in place of the Golden Bears' leading hitter Nicole Colineri, who didn't play for the second straight game. The home run finished off a strong 3-for-4 afternoon for Tedjeske, who had a two-run single in a three-run third inning that gave the Golden Bears a 3-1 lead.
Tedjeske felt good during batting practice and she continued her normal pre-game ritual of not eating too much before-hand. Tedjeske ate a blueberry muffin for breakfast. It gave her all the fuel she needed to fire Kutztown's finishing salvo.
Edinboro (19-17) fought back by scoring single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to force extra innings. Kari Falk had two hits to lead Edinboro and she drove in the Fighting Scots' first two runs of the contest. However, when the Golden Bears came off the field in the seventh inning, they weren't concerned about the recent turn of events.
“I think the feeling in the dugout was we've been here before so we knew we could pull this game out,” Lawes said. “We know that no matter what happens during the game that we are going to battle and fight until the final out.”
Heather Hannum also chipped in with two hits for Kutztown, which received a sterling effort from winning pitcher Monica Glomb. She entered the game in the third inning after starting pitcher Katlin Arbogast struggled getting her curveball over the plate. Glomb was huge in the 5.2 innings she hurled. After allowing the game-tying blast, Glomb retired the final Edinboro hitters she faced.
Amazingly this season, 24 of Kutztown's 52 games have been one run affairs. The Golden Bears are 14-10 in one-run games this season and 2-2 in extra innings.
“We don't worry when we get down or the other team ties us,” Tedjeske said. “The close games early in the season really helped because they definitely prepared us for these types of situations. We just have a great group of girls on our team. When they tied the score, we just found a way to keep working and playing with our hearts.”
--KU--
