Outstanding opener

FORT RECOVERY — Pitching and defense are the ticket to softball tournament success.
The Indians looked primed for the postseason already in their opener.
Fort Recovery played an error-free game Monday, shutting out the Franklin Monroe Jets 10-0 in six innings.
“I thought they played a really good first game,” said FRHS coach Marie Osterholt of her Indians, who are coming off of a 12-13 season in 2011. “We got a lot of kids in. All the kids did well. We made some nice catches … played perfect defense. Overall I’m very happy.”
Senior starter Beca Tobe pitched to contact, allowing her defense to make plays behind her. She retired eight straight batters, including one-two-three innings in the second and third, and gave up just a pair of singles.
Maleia Fullenkamp made a running catch in left field to end the third inning, and second baseman Kendra Stammen came up with a catch on a line drive with the bases loaded for the third out of the fourth. Sophomore catcher Jackie Fullenkamp came up with a sliding catch on a pop up just in front of the backstop to end the sixth.
Junior shortstop Janelle Schwieterman, who played center field each of the last two seasons, was perfect in the field with five put outs.
“It was exciting,” said Tobe, who snagged a line drive in the fifth inning for one of her four put outs. “We came out ready to play. … Our defense looks really good this year.”
While the defense shut down Franklin Monroe (0-1), the Indians scored three times in the second inning and then broke the game open in the fifth.
Tobe led off the six-run frame with a double to right field, and Schwieterman followed with a single to left. A walk to Melissa Lochtefeld loaded the bases, and Taylor Guggenbiller took advantage with a two-run single to right-center.
Lochtefeld scored when Jackie Fullenkamp reached base on an error by Jets’ second baseman Lani Miller, and Guggenbiller added a run on a wild pitch.
“Sometimes they just make a mistake and it kind of carries over to everyone else,” said Franklin Monroe coach Brittany Bankert, whose team won just two games a year ago. “We’re just going to try to let that not happen.”
Freshman center fielder Tori Lennartz followed with the biggest hit of the game, a triple to right-center, and then pushed the Fort Recovery lead to 9-0 when she scored on a ground out by fellow freshman Haley Knapke.
“I was happy in the fifth inning that we got it going,” said Osterholt. “Our defense kept us right there. We didn’t give them anything. And then the bats, they started to relax at the plate. It was a fun game.”
Ashley Homan, batting for Tobe, was hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth inning and came around to score thanks to a walk, a wild pitch and an RBI ground out from Lochtefeld.
Jackie Fullenkamp had the only hit, a single to left field, in the Tribe’s three-run third inning.
Lennartz finished 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI, and Jackie Fullenkamp also had two hits to go along with a run. Guggenbiller went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run.
“That was sweet,” said Osterholt of the Lennartz triple. “She hits the ball hard. … All the freshmen, they hit the ball well. That’s good to see. They’re really good athletes.”
Tobe earned the win as she went five shutout innings, allow just two walks to go along with the two Franklin Monroe hits. Homan tossed a one-two-three sixth inning.
Miller and Emma Baker had the only hits for the Jets with singles in the first and fourth innings respectively.
Stryker took the loss, giving up nine runs — seven earned — on five hits and three walks as her defense committed four errors. She struck out five batters.[[In-content Ad]]