For Columbus, there's no substitution for win
Columbus softball coach Jack Gutierrez had all the confidence in the world that subbing out his players in the eighth inning wouldn’t be a problem Saturday against Class B No. 9 Lincoln Pius X.
And the confidence he had in his team proved to be right when the Discoverers held on to earn a 1-0 win at the Lincoln Public Schools Classic at Doris Bair Park.
The win gave Columbus a 3-0 record and the championship of the pool.
“It’s our philosophy to use a lot of subbing,” Gutierrez said. “We’ve got some girls who are better hitters and some who are better at defense. The more seasoned girls came through tonight.”
Columbus (4-1) scored in the top of the eighth with the international run rule in effect.
After a single, Columbus’ Melanie Braun scored the winning run from third on sophomore Jena Andeldt’s single.
“She does a good job, but she made some mistakes,” Gutierrez said. “She got out at second (after attempting to advance to third).
“It’s that kind of instinct that the older kids have but some of the younger ones need to develop.”
After the Discoverers best finish at the LPS Classic in several years, Gutierrez is excited about his team’s potential for the rest of the season.
“We haven’t done that (gone undefeated) in a while and we thought that we have had really good programs in the past. We feel good to go 3-0 and are excited to see what we can do the rest of the season.
“We are 4-1, but we could have very easily been 5-0. We just lost a nine-inning game to Northeast (on Thursday). It was a close game,” Gutierrez said.
Discoverers pitcher Megan Kresha gave up just one hit, striking out three Thunderbolts.
Pius X pitcher Abby Wilmes gave up just three hits, including a double by Andeldt. She struck out eight Columbus batters.
Earlier, the Thunderbolts earned wins against Northeast and Milford. Against the Rockets, Jamie Reed was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Lauren Bodfield also added two hits.
Against Class C No. 8 Milford, Wilmes earned the win, striking out seven.
Columbus advanced with a 2-0 win against Milford and a 7-3 win against Northeast.
Reach Lori Griffin at 473-7174 or lgriffin@journalstar.com.
And the confidence he had in his team proved to be right when the Discoverers held on to earn a 1-0 win at the Lincoln Public Schools Classic at Doris Bair Park.
The win gave Columbus a 3-0 record and the championship of the pool.
“It’s our philosophy to use a lot of subbing,” Gutierrez said. “We’ve got some girls who are better hitters and some who are better at defense. The more seasoned girls came through tonight.”
Columbus (4-1) scored in the top of the eighth with the international run rule in effect.
After a single, Columbus’ Melanie Braun scored the winning run from third on sophomore Jena Andeldt’s single.
“She does a good job, but she made some mistakes,” Gutierrez said. “She got out at second (after attempting to advance to third).
“It’s that kind of instinct that the older kids have but some of the younger ones need to develop.”
After the Discoverers best finish at the LPS Classic in several years, Gutierrez is excited about his team’s potential for the rest of the season.
“We haven’t done that (gone undefeated) in a while and we thought that we have had really good programs in the past. We feel good to go 3-0 and are excited to see what we can do the rest of the season.
“We are 4-1, but we could have very easily been 5-0. We just lost a nine-inning game to Northeast (on Thursday). It was a close game,” Gutierrez said.
Discoverers pitcher Megan Kresha gave up just one hit, striking out three Thunderbolts.
Pius X pitcher Abby Wilmes gave up just three hits, including a double by Andeldt. She struck out eight Columbus batters.
Earlier, the Thunderbolts earned wins against Northeast and Milford. Against the Rockets, Jamie Reed was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Lauren Bodfield also added two hits.
Against Class C No. 8 Milford, Wilmes earned the win, striking out seven.
Columbus advanced with a 2-0 win against Milford and a 7-3 win against Northeast.
Reach Lori Griffin at 473-7174 or lgriffin@journalstar.com.
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