After a pair of frustrating losses earlier in the week, the Badgers responded emphatically, shutting out Wickliffe 9-0 in a Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division matchup on the road.
Berkshire didn’t just need a win Saturday — they needed a reset.
After a pair of frustrating losses earlier in the week, the Badgers responded emphatically, shutting out Wickliffe 9-0 in a Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division matchup on the road.
The bounce-back effort came after a tough stretch that saw Berkshire fall 12-2 to South, then drop a one-run game to Rootstown despite carrying a lead into the final inning. That second loss, in particular, lingered.
“I did a horrible job coaching against Rootstown, and that game was on me, and that game left a bad taste in our mouths,” Berkshire Head Coach Joe Medlen said. “I think they were ready today. They came out with more fire. Moira Wonders pitched her tail off again today. It’s probably the best game I saw her pitch today. She did really, really well. She was definitely ready today. I needed it, we needed it. We’ll see what happens moving forward.”
Whitney Davis got Berkshire rolling with a single, then two stolen bases, and eventually scored on a Kate Miller RBI bunt single. Miller moved to third on an error and scored on a passed ball for a 2-0 lead.
Olivia Christman opened the second inning with a single for the Badgers, and Davis doubled her home for a 3-0 lead.
Delaney Gumm added to the Berkshire lead with an RBI single, and later came around to score on a dropped third strike, pushing the advantage to 5-0 after three innings.
The Badgers plated three more runs in the fifth when Miller singled, stole second, and scored on a Wonders RBI double. With two outs, Christman delivered again, knocking in two more runs with a single to extend the lead to 8-0.
Berkshire added one final run in the seventh when Davis doubled, stole third, and scored on a passed ball for a 9-0 lead and win.
While the offense produced throughout, the story of the game was Wonders in the circle. The sophomore was dominant from start to finish, racking up strikeouts and keeping Wickliffe from ever finding a rhythm at the plate.
“Today her pitches were really working,” Medlen said of his pitcher. “She was spot-on. She might have missed like three or four pitches today, if that many. She did an awesome job, she’s an incredible kid, yet still only a sophomore. Her ceiling is so high.”
Wonders accomplished a complete-game shutout, scattering six hits and piling up 18 strikeouts in one of the most commanding performances of her young career.
Despite an uneven start to the season, Medlen believes adversity has already shaped his team in meaningful ways.
“I would say that all things that we learned from Pigeon Forge, we learned how to battle. We lost all seven games, and you would never be able to walk up and tell that they lost seven games,” Medlen said. “That was a good coaching moment for all of us coaches, because this is a game where you’re going to lose games that you absolutely compete in as long as you do everything right. … Sometimes you just come out on the losing end, and I think it’s helped them grow.”
Berkshire showcased its depth at the plate. Davis led the way with three hits and constant pressure on the base paths, while Gumm also tallied three hits. Mallory Durosko added three of her own in a balanced offensive effort.
Christman went two-for-four with two RBIs, and contributions also came across the lineup from Miller, Wonders and Leann Baise.
It was one the Badgers’ most complete games of the season, and to cap it off, junior Whitney Davis, who’s already claimed the program’s all-time steals record and committed to Penn State to play softball after high school, surpassed the program’s all-time hits record just 11 games into the year.
“It’s been fun doing what I’m doing, and the school season always helps me with the travel season,” Davis said. “The hits and stolen bases have just come because I’m trying to help my team the best that I can. Getting on base and stealing bases is how I can do that.”
Berkshire sat at 3-8 as they entered a week of competition against Crestwood on April 13 and Kirtland on April 15.
