Peru State College Athletic Media Release
For Immediate Release Contact:
Dave Walker
Sports Information Director
402.872.2344 or
dwalker@oakmail.peru.edu
Bobcats Finish 7-7 at
Tucson Softball Invitational
(TUCSON,
AZ) The Bobcat softball team left the wet fields
behind and found much better weather in southern
Arizona as they opened the 2008 campaign last week
by competing in the Tucson Invitational. The Bobcats
split their 14 games and in the process answered
some early season questions for veteran coach Mark
Mathews.
"Overall I was very pleased as we were very
competitive against an excellent array of talented
teams," said Mathews. "We also had some great
experience being in close games." Four of the games
went extra innings and two others were decided by
one run.
The Bobcats opened the week winning four of their
first five games with victories coming against
Viterbo (7-2 and 9-8), Trinity International (9-1)
and Madonna (1-0). The lone setback during that
stretch was an 11-7 loss to Aquinas. The 'Cats then
hit a tough stretch, including a 1-3 mark in extra
inning affairs, losing six of the final nine games.
The three wins came against Mayville State (7-3),
William Penn (8-7) and the University of Great Falls
(7-6). The losses were to William Penn (13-12),
Aquinas (6-4), Dickinson State (8-7), Minot State
(10-8) and University of Dubuque (15-14).
Offensively the Bobcats had four players top the
.400 mark at the plate for the week. Freshman Krista
Patton (Nebraska City) led the way at .476. McKayla
Clark (Ashland) hit at a .424 clip, followed by
Jamie Wolbert (Beatrice) at .423 and Marie Poole
(Ashland) at .404. The 'Cats clubbed nearly ten hits
per game which pleased Mathews. "We did some really
good things offensively which I really didn't expect
this early in the season. Hopefully that will only
get better as we go." Brittany Fry (Fort Calhoun)
had two of the Bobcats four homeruns during the week
looking to fill the long ball gap left by graduated
All-American slugger Tabitha Foster.
Five different hurlers saw action for PSC with
freshman Nicole Goodrich (Eagle) leading the group
with a 3-1 record in eight appearances. Goodrich
finished the trip with a 4.91 ERA and 19 strikeouts
in 25.2 innings tossed. Veteran Laura Kjar (Wood
River) threw the most innings (32) and compiled the
best ERA (2.63) despite a 1-4 record. Also seeing
action from the circle were Colorado Springs, CO
product Lauren Fiori (2-1 W/L, 4.70 ERA), Jocelyn
Anson (Brunswick) who was 0-1 in 12.2 innings and
Natalie Zabel (Bancroft) who had no decisions in her
two appearances.
"The trip was a great experience for us and it was
nice to get outside although the temps were only in
the 50's and low 60's," added Mathews. "Defensively
we had our moments (46 miscues) but considering our
lack of outdoor practice time this spring we did
alright."
PSC's
"Campus of a Thousand Oaks," an arboretum campus, is
nestled in historic southeast Nebraska. The state's
first and fastest-growing college, Peru State offers
a unique mix of innovative online and traditional
classroom undergraduate and graduate programs,
including online graduate degrees in education and
organizational management. PSC is a member
institution of the Nebraska State College System.
For more information, visit
www.peru.edu or call
1-800-742-4412.
