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Goodnight has great day as Ursuline rolls Edgewood
Goodnight has great day as Ursuline pummels Edgewood in road victory
By BOB ETTINGER
ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP
Unlike most hitters, Destiny Goodnight never has a clear strategy when she steps into the batter’s box.
The Ursuline second baseman likes it that way in that she can terrorize a defense, much like she did in recording four hits as the Fighting Irish battered their way to an 18-1 victory at Ashtabula Edgewood on Saturday afternoon.
“I was trying to stay focused and do whatever my coach tells me to do,” Goodnight said. “If I see them charging, I swing through it. If not, I bunt. He just tells me to do what I see.”
Goodnight singled up the middle, bunted for a hit, hit the ball at the second baseman and beat the throw to first and dropped a single behind third base to lead the Irish (24-2).
“Once one of our batters gets hot, we all come together and start hitting. Once one batter goes, it sparks us all,” Goodnight said.
Ursuline had just two hits and was scoreless through the first three innings before netting 18 runs on 19 hits over the next three innings.
“They made adjustments,” Edgewood head coach Joel Laughlin said. “That’s what this game is all about. We were doing pretty well going into the fifth. I think (our pitcher, Kaitlin Ezzone) had fooled them with some pitches and they started to figure her out. They started to square her up. The one girl (Paige Ogden) had two strikes and two outs with the bases loaded. She fought it off and the ball fell in.”
The result couldn’t have been better as Ursuline head coach Mike Kernan took his squad north to prepare it for a Division II district semifinal against West Branch. The Irish will host the Warriors at at Youngstown State at 5 p.m.
“Lefties are definitely different,” Kernan said. “It’s a different approach for the at-bat. It’s a different spin from a right-hander’s spin. It’s an adjustment. To actually get out here and get reps against a left-handed pitcher helps us be as prepared the best we can be for a great team with a great pitcher in West Branch. I’m happy with the workout we got today.”
Paige Ogden drove in five with a double and a triple, Julia Nutter had three hits and drove in four, Emma Ericson had three hits and three RBIs and Gia Caldrone had a hit and drove in three. Maris Barbato and Emily Holland had three hits and Madelyn Miklandric had two hits.
“I was just thinking about base hits,” Ogden said. “That’s what my dad tells me. I was trying to not try too hard because it doesn’t help to try too hard. I knew she was throwing inside from my teammates and I was expecting it. I was ready for it. My first two at-bats, I was too anxious.”
Ericson allowed just two runs on two hits, walked a batter and struck out six.
“I thought I mixed the up pretty well,” Ericson said. “The defense was behind me and that helped me put the ball where it needed to be. After the two hits, I had to readjust. I had to throw pitches to different spots because they were starting to time me up.”