MIDDLEFIELD–Berkshire hit two early home runs in a 12-2 five-inning Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division win over host Cardinal on Monday.
Moira Wonders belted a two-run blast in the first, and Whitney Davis followed with a two-run shot in the second, leading to a 10-run win for the Badgers.
“We always talk about getting the lead batter, and the lead because it’s easier to work ahead than it is from behind,” said Berkshire head coach Joe Medlen. “Those were big home runs. Moira’s been hitting the ball well, and Whitney got one. They took a lot of stress away at the beginning of the game when that happened.”
Davis doubled with one out in the first and scored on Mallory Durosko’s RBI groundout, giving Berkshire an early lead.
Kylie Gleason worked a walk, and Wonders jolted a two-out two-run home run to left center, making it 3-0.
Cardinal answered with one run in the bottom half of the inning when Emily Pleva worked a walk and scored on an Adelyn Grant RBI single, cutting the deficit down to 3-1.
Jenna Hornak was hit by a pitch to start the Berkshire second inning, and with two outs, Davis connected on a two-run homer of her own for a 5-1 lead after two.
The Badgers plated two more runs in the third with bases-loaded walks to Olivia Masink and Hornak for a 7-1 lead.
Grant led off the Cardinal fourth inning with a solo shot to left, cutting the Huskies’ deficit to 7-2.
Hornak and Julia Young both reached on errors, leading to back-to-back RBI singles by Kate Miller and Davis for a 9-1 lead.
Miller scored on a passed ball, Davis crossed the dish on an error, and Wonders drilled an RBI double to cap off the win.
Setting the tone is important for Coach Medlen and company, and he knew the girls were laser-focused on beating their rival.
“I saw the way they look when they’re ready to play a game, with the mindset and the approach. They were relaxed, ready to play,” Medlen said of his team’s focus. “We could have blown it open, but we let (Cardinal) off the hook, and the girls wanted to come right back at it. We’re doing well.”
Berkshire is off to a 5-3 start, showing loads of promise early in a season full of belief.
“We have that, ‘So what, next pitch’, mentality. We’re playing for each other,” Medlen said. “We’re trying to change the culture and keep their heads in the right place. The girls are doing a great job. Our losses have been against some really good pitchers and teams, and our goal is to be like them. We have to keep working hard on the off days in practice.”
Davis paced the offense, going 4-for-4 with three RBI and runs scored, while Wonders went 2-for-2 with three RBI and runs scored. Miller went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Wonders pitched a gem, going all five innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Cardinal fell to 4-7 after the loss. Still being a young team, the Huskies continue to add building blocks for the future.
“Our girls have a lot of good softball IQ, and we’re taking this game as something to learn from,” said Cardinal coach Haley Adams. “We talked to the girls before this game about how proud we were of them in a loss to Kenston, who’s another quality team, 4-2 in nine innings. These games are teaching us lessons on things we can work on. The best practice for us is to play other teams. These last two games show us what we need to work on and get better at.”
A gut-wrenching nine-inning marathon loss to the Bombers, followed by a tough battle against the rival Badgers, can sting, and the Huskies will have to keep their heads held high.
“These girls have been playing ball for a long time, so losses like this just make them hungrier,” Adams said. “They’re going to be ready for that second matchup (with Berkshire). We have two conference games with Kirtland, and these girls are hungry for that second round of CVC play.”
Grant led the Cardinal offense going 2-for-2 with two RBI, and Brooklyn Whitley went 1-for-3 with a triple.
Maggie Grant took the loss in the circle after allowing seven runs on three hits with five walks and one strikeout in two innings. Natalie Soltis pitched three frames of relief, allowing no runs on four hits with one walk and a strikeout.
Berkshire travels to Geneva on April 22, while Cardinal hosts Kirtland on April 23.
