Waubonsie Valley seniors combine on no-hitter
It was senior day Tuesday at the Waubonsie Valley softball field when the Warriors played host to Metea Valley.
The Warriors' pitchers are both seniors, and coach Val Wood thought it would be a good idea that both see time in the circle.
A good idea turned into a great idea when Shannon Hohman and Jordan Kurth combined for a no-hitter. The Warriors cruised past the Mustangs 9-0.
Hohman started the game with Kurth at first base. Hohman pitched 3 innings and struck out 7, setting the Metea lineup down in order each inning. With the postseason just a couple of weeks away, she said the Warriors will benefit from pitching depth.
"Jordan gets a day off (from pitching) and I pitch. Then I get a day off and she pitches. Not many teams can do that and a lot of pitchers don't have days off. It's an advantage for us," she said.
Hohman has thrown a no-hitter and perfect game already this season.
In the fourth Hohman headed to first base and it was Kurth's turn on the mound. She set the Mustangs down in order three of the four innings she worked. Only a fielding error that put Metea's Megan Archey on base in the sixth was between the Waubonsie pitchers and earning a perfect game.
"I kept them off-balance throwing my changeup and trying to mess with them speed-wise. And our defense helped a lot," Kurth said.
The best chance for Metea (9-15, 7-9 Upstate Eight Valley) to get a hit came in the second inning. Emma Zenkel belted a long flyball to right that Veronica Zahn caught on the run.
At the plate the Warriors (20-8, 12-4) racked up 13 hits and scored 5 runs on 5 hits in the third inning to break the game open.
Hohman and Calley Gautschl each connected on 2-run doubles in that inningto spark Waubonsie. Gautschl finished with 4 RBI.
Hohman, Gautschl, Kurth and Layne Thresh each finished the afternoon with 2 hits apiece.
Waubonsie has six games left in the regular season. The Warriors are excited for the postseason.
"We are moving in the right direction and we're peaking at the right time," Wood said. "We made some lineup changes and today it showed. We're ready to go. The seniors have been waiting four years for this."
Metea has eight games left on the schedule, and coach Kris Kalivas knows what the Mustangs have to do to have a strong conclusion to the season.
"They need to learn about past mistakes and make adjustments. We did zero of that today," she said.