April 9, 2008 – COVINGTON
Covington coach Dean Denlinger has been preaching to his kids the importance of playing with intensity and passion all the time, regardless of the situation.

So when Covington took a 21-1 lead on Mississinawa Valley in the first inning, Denlinger found himself in a position he didn't like to be in.

"I don't like games like this because it's a no-win situation," he said. "I'd rather lose a 3-2 game than win a game like this. I'm trying to get the kids to understand how important it is to give everything they've got at all times. I can't give them mixed signals by telling them to let up."

But once Covington surged out to a secure lead, Denlinger applied a strategy to help his team work on some aspects of the game it has struggled with at various times this season.

"Our game plan was to slap, drag and bunt," Denlinger explained. "We had a chance to work on some of those things and the girls did a good job of executing the things we wanted them to do."

Denlinger was also able to get all 17 of his players into the game.

"We began substituting in the first inning and were able to get everyone a lot of playing time," he said. "We ended up having some kids playing out of position, which is something I don't really like to do. But it was good to be able to get some of the kids some experience."

Even with the substitutions, Covington managed to score two runs in the second, three in the third and one in the fourth.

The game was ended after the top of the fifth with Covington a 27-1 winner.

Jessica Shrout picked up the victory, while Kristen Boggs recorded the save. The duo combined for a one-hitter in five innings of action.

Erin Christian continued her hot hitting by going 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI, while Jessica Snipes was 3-for-4 with 4 RBI.

Katie Dickey and Shelby Hoblit had identical hitting statistics as each went 2-for-2 with a double and four RBI.

Halley Roberts also had a big afternoon as she was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI.

The Lady Buccs pounded out 15 hits and didn't commit any errors, while Mississinaw Valley had five errors and just one hit.

Covington improves to 2-3 (1-0 in the CCC) and travels to face Miami East tomorrow.

Scoring by Innings:
Mississinawa ...........1...0...0...0...0 - 1 .. 1 .. 7
Covington ...............21...2...3...1...x - 27 .. 15 .. 0