April 25, 2008 – FORT LORAMIE
Covington coach Dean Denlinger was concerned about the mental approach of his team after a horrendous infield warm-up period prior to Friday's game against Fort Loramie.

"We took an absolute horrible infield," Denlinger said. "We were not focused at all. It was sickening."

But Denlinger had the medicine as he pulled his team to the side before the game and gave them a tongue lashing.

"I lit into the girls pretty good," he continued. "Every game from here on out is important and we need to be focused and ready to play. I challenged the kids and they responded."

Respond they did as the Lady Buccs steamrolled to a 14-2 victory in five innings.

"I'm so pleased that the girls accepted the challenge and played as well as they did," Denlinger said. "We are running on fumes, but the girls have gutted it out. They learned a lot about themselves tonight."

Freshman Chloe Shell continues to amaze as she pitched in her fourth straight game.

Shell allowed just three hits and one run in four innings of work. She struck out ofur and didn't give up and walks.

"We've been leaning on Chloe for a while now due to injuries," Denlinger explained. "Jessica (Shrout) hasn't been able to go and we don't know when we'll get her back. Kristen Boggs is playing, but it's a day-to-day thing with her. But Chloe has stepped in and performed very well."

Which is an understatement since Covington is 4-0 in the games Shell has pitched since the injury bug as hit the pitching staff.

"She deserves a badge of honor," continued Denlinger. "She's pitched a lot of innings and has been tired, but somehow she has been able to stay focused and do the job."

With a comfortable lead and a double-header scheduled for Saturday, Denlinger gave Shell a rest in the fifth inning by bringing in Halley Roberts to close out the contest in the fifth inning.

Brittany Arnett also had a big night - one she will likely remember for a long time.

She came in to pinch hit in the top of the fifth inning and drilled a two-run home run - the first of her high school career.

"That was special," Denlinger said. "She'll remember that one for a long time."

Shelby Hoblit came up big as well as she went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI.

Michelle Leistner has two RBI on a 2-for-4 day, while Jessica Snipes was 2-for-2 with an RBI.

Erin Christian pounded in three runs as well.

"We hit the crap out of the ball," Denlinger stated after a 16-hit performance by his team.

Covington improves to 10-6 on the season, but a tired the banged up team won't get a chance to rest or heal as Milton-Union comes to town for a double-header tomorrow.

"Boy, I hope it rains," chuckled Denlinger. "We need a break. We're tired and banged up right now."

But he won't let his team us that as an excuse to lose focus.

"We'll have to fight through it," he continued. "We don't have a choice. If we want to get to where we want to go, we have to stay focused and be ready to play regardless of the circumstances."

If the Lady Buccs aren't ready to play you can bet Denlinger will have a little tongue lashing waiting for them.

Scoring by Innings:
Covington .................2...0...4...2...6 - 14 .. 16 .. 1
Fort Loramie .............0...0...0...1...1 - 2 .. 3 .. 4