BOXSCORE COMING SOON
CLERMONT, FL. (March 11, 2011)—The Kutztown University women's softball team went eight innings with Grand Valley State University and fell short 9-6 in the finale of the National Training Center (NTC) Spring Games, in Clermont, Fl.
The Golden Bears (15-3) aren't hanging their heads at all. KU went 8-1 during the NTC Spring Games and saw a sneak peek of what they can expect going into conference play. KU's nine-game winning streak was snapped tonight but this is the best start to a season for KU since 2002.
“Even though we loss tonight, it was against a good team,” Kutztown University head coach Judy Lawes said. “We are very pleased with this trip. We saw a lot of good things in all aspects of the game. We have seen consistency with our hitting, and our pitching and defense has also come together.”
KU is currently ranked 12th in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 Poll. During its trip in Florida the Golden Bears shutout No. 8 Winona State University and No.16 Tampa.
Grand Valley State was first to light up the scoreboard, when it picked up two runs in the top of the third inning.
The Lakers also scored again in the fourth inning. Kutztown came back with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take the lead, 4-3. The Golden Bears didn't have the advantage long and GVSU scored two runs in the fifth inning, closing the game in at 5-4.
The game was then tossed into KU's fate when it tallied a run in the bottom of sixth. With the game tied at 5-5 in the seventh inning, extra innings was used to determine the winner.
The Lakers exploded with four runs in the eighth inning, taking the advantage 9-5. The Golden Bears had a chance to answer, but were only able to score one run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Kutztown had 11 hits and highlighting the offense was Morgan Booth (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) who was 3-for-4. Samantha Derr (Lititz, PA/Warwick) went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, Nicole Henninger (Reading, PA./Muhlenberg) had two hits, and Jennifer Stow (Glen Mills, PA/Garnet Valley) was 2-for-3 with a RBI. Jackie Hetzler (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) also added a triple.
Derr pitched a full game to account for nine strikeouts which is a season-high for the freshman pitcher. Despite KU's loss, it made some unbelievable defensive plays but it left 11 runners on base.
The youthful Golden Bears have adjusted well and all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together.
“The atmosphere of the team is very positive right now,” Lawes said. “Over the week the girls have built confidence in themselves and have learned the ability of their work ethic.”
Kutztown will have a few days to relax and unwind, and enjoy the few days left of spring break. KU returns to action on Wednesday March 16, when it faces University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Game time is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
